52 Weeks Later
by Mag68
Summary: A little post-fic addendum to Seven Weeks. Lorelai and Luke plan a romantic weekend away.
1. They Hatcheth a Plan

**A/N: Fair Readers, pray give me a modicum of leeway on the timeline because ASP had the entire summer of Season Six condensed into Fight Face and The Ungraduate. For the purposes of this story, humor me and let's pretend that Luke & Lorelai tabled the house discussion until later in the summer, Liz and T.J. packed up and hit the Ren-Faire circuit, Paul Anka is still awaiting rescue and T.J. didn't knock a hole into Lorelai's bedroom until sometime in August, okay? **

**That being said, this is a smutty little post-fic addendum to Seven Weeks. Should only be about three of four chapters at most, but then again, you know how I am… This is dedicated to my Sporking pals and all of those who yearn to see Lorelai tame Luke's dragon… What say you? Huzzah!**

**They Hatcheth a Plan**

Lorelai sat at the table in Luke's apartment doing some paperwork for the inn while she waited for him to close up for the night. She frowned at the invoice in front of her and reached for her cell, but when she flipped it open, she found that she had forgotten to charge it earlier that day and the battery had run down. Tossing the phone aside, Lorelai got up and walked over to snatch the portable phone she had brow beaten Luke into buying from its cradle. She dialed quickly and then rummaged through her bag to find her charger while the phone rang. When she heard the answering machine come on, she glanced at the clock and realized that it was probably bath time in the Belleville household. After the tone she said, "Hey, Sook! Sorry, I didn't realize it was bath and bed time. Um, I just had a question on an invoice from the poultry guy. It seems that Shel is awfully proud of his breasts these days. Not that they're not nice breasts, but, yowza. Um, I'm at Luke's and my cell is charging. Call me back here, or I'll just talk to you about it in the morning. Oh, uh, I meant his apartment," she added quickly before rattling off the phone number and hanging up.

She sat back down and set the invoice from their poultry supplier aside before she continued to sort through the stack. Ten minutes later, the phone rang. Lorelai snatched it from the pile of papers and pressed the on button as she said, "I mean, a breast is a breast is a breast, isn't it? It's not like we're serving Pam Anderson sized portions here."

She heard a giggle on the other end of the line and then a raspy voice asking, "Lorelai?"

"Oh! Liz. Sorry, I thought you were Sookie," Lorelai said with an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry," she said again.

"That's cool, and yes I agree, once you've seen one, you've seen them all. But tell that to a guy, huh?" Liz said with a laugh.

Lorelai giggled and said, "I was talking about chicken breasts. I thought you were Sookie calling me back," she explained. "But, yes, it is true," she conceded. "How are you? And T.J.? And your breasts?" she added with a laugh.

"I'm fine, T.J.'s fantastic, but my breasts?" she said with a sigh. "Well, they're just not as perky as they used to be, ya know?" Liz answered.

"I hear ya," Lorelai answered.

"Please, your breasts are perky," Liz said pointedly.

"Okay, this is just getting weird now," Lorelai said with a chuckle. "Um, Luke's not up here, he's downstairs. Do you want me to get him for you?" she asked.

"Oh, no. This is just our weekly phone call thing," Liz said quickly. "You see, he hates it when I call while he's working, so I call and talk to his machine and tell him what we've been doing, and ask about you guys. Then tomorrow, he'll call while I'm doing my yoga, and leave me a message back," she explained. "It's a system we've perfected. We talk, but we rarely actually talk," Liz said with a laugh. "I think he prefers it that way," she added in a conspiratorial tone.

"Oh," Lorelai said blankly.

"That way, he doesn't have to pretend to be interested in all my stuff, and I don't have to listen to him nag me. It works out well for both of us," Liz assured her.

"He can be a little bossy," Lorelai agreed.

"He means well," Liz said, still quick to defend her big brother to the death.

"Its part of his charm," Lorelai concurred. "Uh, would you like me to hang up so that you can talk to the machine?" she asked.

"Oh no, I'm so glad to get the chance to talk to you," Liz said quickly. "How are the wedding plans coming?" she asked.

"Oh, well, no real plans yet," Lorelai said uncomfortably.

"Ah, just basking in the glow. I get it," Liz said with a nod.

"How are things at the faire?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, great! T.J. tweaked the booth a little, gave me some more space for bracelets and anklets. Anklets have been really big so far this year," Liz said enthusiastically.

"Really?" Lorelai asked as she tucked the phone under her chin and shuffled through a stack of purchase orders.

"Oh, yeah. I got these really pretty beads, almost like cloisonné, you know. All these blues and greens, they're gorgeous. Anyway, I've been using a lot of those and they've been selling like crazy," she said with an incredulous shake of her head. "Oh, I should save you one. It would so great with your eyes," she gushed.

"Well, I usually don't have my ankles up around me head," Lorelai said in a distracted tone as she stared at an order for new linens. She realized what she had said and then giggled. "Oh, so dirty," she gasped.

Liz laughed and asked, "You need me to have a talk with that brother of mine?"

"Uh, no," Lorelai said firmly. "Do not go there."

Liz laughed and said, "Its such fun talking on the phone to a girl. I never talk on the phone to girls anymore, well, Carrie, but she doesn't count, she's usually yelling at Barry or the kids. And now I'm going to have a sister-in-law," she crowed. "I'm so excited for you! And for Luke, I just know he has to be over the moon," she said affectionately.

"Thanks, Liz," Lorelai said, her tone softening.

"I remember when you came up here last summer. Oh man, Lorelai, I have never seen my big brother so crazy about anyone," she said sincerely.

"Well, he'd better be, the guy said yes," Lorelai tried to joke.

"This is a dream come true for him," Liz said, undeterred. "He wants to marry you. For years, I'll bet," she added. "You know, he may think he is, but there was never a guy who was more perfect for marriage than Luke. He's like a swan," she said simply.

"A swan?" Lorelai asked as she placed the stacks of papers into alternating piles.

"Monogamous, you know," Liz said with a shrug. "Mates for life."

Lorelai frowned and said, "I thought they disproved that."

Liz chuckled and said, "Not in Luke's case."

Lorelai smiled as she said, "He is true blue, isn't he?"

"The bluest," Liz agreed. "Oh and the eyes! Your kids are going to have the most incredible blue eyes," Liz said in a dreamy voice.

"Uh, yeah, well odds are, huh?" Lorelai said as she glanced toward the door nervously.

"Luke is going to be such a great dad," Liz sighed.

Lorelai chuckle and said, "Hey, getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we?"

"Oh, sorry, yeah I'm like that sometimes," Liz said sheepishly.

"Uh, so, where are you guys?" Lorelai asked, ready to shift the conversation to less personal topics.

"Near Portland. Maine, you know," Liz told her.

"Cool, same place as last time?" Lorelai asked.

"Yep, the schedule's a little wacky this year, though. They have us going down to Portsmouth next and then back up to Bangor, go figure," Liz said incredulously.

"Portsmouth," Lorelai said softly.

Liz smiled as she said, "Oh yeah, that's where you guys met up, isn't it?"

"Yeah, we met there one weekend," Lorelai admitted.

"I remember, because there was no wiping the smile off of Luke's face when he got back. T.J. didn't even get to him, and that's saying a lot," Liz said with a chuckle.

"We had a nice time there," Lorelai said wistfully.

"You should come up while we're there, stay at that inn you stayed at and then come out to the faire for the day," Liz said excitedly.

Lorelai smiled and said, "Oh Liz, I'd love to, but things are really busy right now. I doubt I could get away."

"Yeah. Well, I guess that comes with the territory when you have your own business," Liz said somberly. "I know Luke hardly ever takes any time off. Last summer was the only time I've known him to take more than a day or two away from the diner since he opened it," she said sadly.

Lorelai smiled and said, "How quickly you forget. He went on a cruise with Nicole," she reminded Liz.

Liz laughed and said, "I did forget. That'll show you how real that was, huh," she chortled. "Well, anyway, I probably shouldn't keep you any longer, T.J. will come looking for me soon," Liz added with a smile in her voice.

"I'll tell Luke that you called and give him the update," Lorelai promised.

"I had such a good time talking to you, Lorelai," Liz said in a happy tone.

"Me too, Liz," Lorelai answered sincerely. "You take care of yourselves, okay?" she asked.

"Oh, we will, and each other," Liz added with a chuckle.

"That's what it's all about," Lorelai replied. "Oh, and next time, call him downstairs. I know he likes to talk to you," Lorelai assure Liz.

Liz laughed and said, "Yeah, but he lives in fear of me handing the phone to T.J."

"Well, he'll have to toughen up, then, won't he?" Lorelai asked.

"See ya, Lorelai," Liz said with a laugh.

"Bye, Liz," she said as she hung up and stared at the phone in her hand. She stood up and walked over to the windows, clutching the phone against her chest as she looked out onto the square, watching people stroll along in the waning evening light.

Twenty minutes later, Luke opened the door to find her standing at the windows, watching the passersby below, obviously lost in thought. He walked quietly across the room and stood just behind her as he reached out to touch her shoulder gently and asked, "What's on your mind?"

Lorelai jumped slightly, and then turned, the phone still pressed to her chest. She smiled at him and said, "You, actually."

"Me?" he asked as a smile tugged at the edges of his mouth.

"Yeah, you," she said softly as she reached up on her toes to kiss him sweetly.

When she settled back again, Luke pushed a stray curl behind her ear, tucking it safely in place. "Were you waiting for me to call?" he asked with a nod toward the phone still clutched in her hand.

Lorelai looked down at the phone blankly and then shook her head to clear it. "Oh, no, Liz called. Sorry, I answered your phone. I thought it might be Sookie," she explained quickly.

Luke shrugged and said, "You can answer my phone."

"Yeah, my, uh cell was dead, so I called Sookie to ask her a question and got the machine, so I left her this number. And then, when it rang, I just answered it," she babbled.

"That's fine," Luke said patiently.

Lorelai flashed him a smile and said, "Well, I know that I have permission to move the milk, but I wasn't sure about the phone answering thing. I wouldn't have, if I had thought about it."

Luke nodded and said, "Well, seeing as how my phone will soon be your phone, I think that this falls under the category of no big deal." He looked down at her and asked, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she said quickly, giving him that quick smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Luke nodded, but clearly didn't believe her. "What did Liz have to say?" he asked as he took off his cap, tossed it onto the chair, and ran his hand through his hair tiredly.

"Oh, not much, bracelets and anklets are selling big this year. They're heading down to Portsmouth next and then up to Bangor," she reported.

"Portsmouth," Luke said with a small smile.

"Nice town," Lorelai agreed with a gleam in her eye.

"Love that town," Luke agreed as he pulled her into his arms, lifting the phone from her hand and tossing it to the chair beside his hat.

Lorelai slid her hands up his chest and said, "Of course, we didn't see much of it."

"We saw enough," he said gruffly as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her tenderly. Luke pulled back and traced his fingertips over her cheek and down to her jaw. "Saw everything that mattered," he said softly.

"True," she agreed.

Luke pulled her close and hugged her tightly, his hands caressing her back gently. "I closed a little early. Thought I'd see if you wanted to get an ice cream cone and take a walk. It looks like a nice night," he said quietly.

"Really?" she asked hopefully, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

"Sure, if you want to. We've both been cooped up all day," he said as he loosened his hold on her.

"That sounds nice," she said as she nuzzled into his neck, unwilling to let go yet.

Luke smiled as he glanced down at her bare feet and said, "Slip your shoes on, and we'll go."

Lorelai nodded and then pressed her lips to his one more time before letting him go. She slipped her feet into a pair of flip flops that she had kicked off earlier and asked, "Two scoops?"

Luke smirked as she followed him to the door, and said, "Don't push it."

"Ah, you want me to have two scoops, that way you can have something to gripe about as you pick at your child sized scoop of vanilla," she said with a cheeky grin as she walked out of the apartment and Luke closed the door after them.

Luke placed his hand on the small of her back as he guided her toward the steps and said, "Damn, now you're onto me."

XXXX

That night, Lorelai turned out the bathroom light and walked over to the bed wearing her favorite flannel. "Soon it'll be too warm to wear this," she said as she climbed under the covers.

Luke smiled at her and said, "You're right, you should take it off."

Lorelai burrowed into his shoulder and said, "You romantic devil, you. Sweeping a girl off her feet like that."

Luke turned to look at her and said somberly, "You're right, I need to be better about that."

Lorelai frowned and asked, "About what?"

"You know, uh, romantic stuff," he said as he gestured lamely.

Lorelai's face brightened into a smile as she said, "You are still the only man who ever sent me a ham."

"Yeah, a year ago," he argued.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "You're just fine the way you are." She laced her fingers with his and let hers slide the long length of his hand. "That's what I was thinking about when you came in tonight," she said quietly.

"Ham?" he asked with a laugh.

"No, last summer. And ham," she added with a smile. "All those nights, me here, you there, talking on the phone," Lorelai said softly. "It was..." she trailed off, looking for the right word.

"Torture?" he asked gruffly.

"Perfect in some ways," she answered.

"Perfect?" he asked incredulously. "You're seriously telling me that it was great that I was stuck up in Maine when we had just, you know, started?" he demanded.

"No, not that part," she said as she shook her head. "The talking. I miss the phone calls," she admitted.

Luke blinked in confusion and said, "We're together almost every night."

"I know, I just, it was nice in a way," she struggled to explain. "You know the intimacy of it."

Luke's eyebrows shot up as he said, "We're a lot more intimate now."

"No, not like that," she said, getting frustrated with him.

Luke frowned and said, "Don't get upset, just tell me what you mean."

"I don't know," she said softly. "It was all so new, but not new, you know. It was still me and you, but a whole new kind of me and you," she stumbled as she tried to express her thoughts. "That rush when the phone would ring. Snuggled down in bed, listening to the sound of your voice, trying to picture where you were and what you were doing," she said as she released his hand and leaned up on her elbow to look down at him. "Running all over the place just to steal a few hours together, desperate just to be near each other," she said as she plucked at the soft cotton of his t-shirt.

Luke smiled up at her and said, "That first rush."

"Exactly," she said with a nod. "Every joke is hilarious," she teased gently.

"Every little touch is incredible," Luke answered in a hushed voice. He nodded and said, "Yeah that was nice."

"Its not that things are bad now, they're great," she hastened to assure him.

"I know what you mean," he said as he reached up to brush her hair over her shoulder.

"I love what we are now," she told him sincerely.

Luke smiled and said, "I do too. And I love you more now."

"You do?" she asked softly. "Now that the new has worn off?" she added.

"Definitely," he answered. "That's a part of the whole let's get married thing, isn't it?"

"My life meant nothing to me until you used my toothbrush and I want to die when you die," she said with wide eyed solemnity.

Luke reached up and threaded his hand into her curls as he pulled her down to kiss him. "You are my life," he whispered as his lips brushed over hers.

"So romantic," Lorelai sighed as she pressed her lips to his and kissed him deeply.

XXXX

"Thank you so much for coming, you have no idea how much I needed this," Sookie said as she pushed Martha's stroller through the mall.

"I can imagine," Lorelai answered dryly.

"I thought I'd go batty if I didn't get just a little grown up girl time, you know?" Sookie asked.

"Well, you do have your hands full these days," Lorelai said as she nodded toward the stroller.

"I was so excited when Jackson said that he'd take Davy for the day. I can handle this one, she just eats, sleeps and poops," she said with a shrug.

"Where to next?" Lorelai asked as she gestured to the line of stores.

Sookie shook her head and said, "To be honest, I couldn't care less. I'm just happy to be out."

Lorelai pointed to a clothing store and said, "That place looks like it has cute stuff."

"Cute stuff here we come," Sookie giggled as she pointed the stroller toward the entrance to the shop and used it as a battering ram to part the Saturday shopping crowd. She grinned over her shoulder at Lorelai and said, "Sometimes the stroller comes in handy."

They browsed at a leisurely pace as Martha snoozed contentedly. Lorelai was flicking through a rack of skirts when she heard Sookie breathe, "Oh my."

"What?" Lorelai asked as she glanced back over her shoulder.

Sookie pulled a top from the rack and held it up as she said with a laugh, "Prepare yourself, apparently they want us to believe that the wench look is back."

Lorelai turned and saw Sookie holding up a blouse that laced up the front and featured puffy short sleeves that were obviously meant to wear off the shoulder. "Oh my is right," Lorelai said as she reached out to touch the blouse.

Sookie smirked and asked, "Too bad you didn't have this when you went up to that Renaissance Faire in Maine last year, huh?" She placed the offending top back on the rack and giggled as she said, "Luke would have had a stroke."

"Yeah," Lorelai said with a giggle, trying to picture herself in the blouse and coming up with a disturbingly clear image of herself with the laces parted and a coronet of pale yellow silk flowers in her hair, the silky yellow ribbons draped over her shoulder as Luke's dark head bent to kiss the hollow of her throat. "Liz called the other night when I was at Luke's," she told Sookie as she quickly turned back to the skirts, trying to erase the image from her mind.

"Oh? How are they? Are they still doing the faire thing?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah, they're heading to Portsmouth in a couple of weeks," Lorelai told her.

"Portsmouth," Sookie said with a knowing smile.

"Yeah," Lorelai said softly. She turned from the rack to face her friend and said, "It got me thinking, you know, about last summer."

Sookie nodded and said, "You're having that whole 'God, that felt so good thing,' going on."

"Yeah," Lorelai said as she blinked in surprise.

Sookie nodded as she flipped through few more hangers. "Everybody does that," she said confidently.

"They do?" Lorelai asked.

"God, yes. Before this one, every once in a while, I'd call the little Johnson girl over to watch Davy for an hour or so just so I could make Jackson take me to Luke's for dinner. We'd talk and laugh and hold hands, just like we were starting again," she said with a dreamy sigh. She shook her head slightly and said, "Of course, it's never quite the same since I know now that the man has a physical inability to pick up his underwear, but, you know, it's still really good too."

"That's sweet," Lorelai said. "Except for the underwear thing," she added quickly.

Sookie caught the wistful tone in Lorelai's voice and said, "Hey, you should go."

Lorelai frowned and said, "Go where?"

Sookie's eyes widened as the thought took hold. "You should totally go! I mean, there's no reason why you can't," she insisted as she grasped Lorelai's wrist.

"Easy, Hon," Lorelai said as Sookie began to bounce on the balls of her feet. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"You should buy the slutty wench blouse, and take Luke to Portsmouth for a weekend. Ooh! You can stay at that inn you guys stayed at that first weekend," she said excitedly as she nudged Lorelai in the ribs with her elbow. "You can go to the Faire and eat turkey legs, and Luke can show off that muscle man thing with the hammer," she said in a voice tremulous with glee. She clamped her hand over her mouth and squealed as her eyes gleamed with suppressed joy.

"Sookie," Lorelai started to protest.

"It'll be great. Luke can see all of his faire friends again," Sookie said as she danced from foot to foot.

"Okay, that is not going to be a big selling point," Lorelai said dryly.

"He'll love it as long as he's with you," Sookie said, too happy to be deterred. "Picture it, you're wearing that top, Luke's eyes will practically fall out of his head," she added in an undertone. "Oh! And you can take your flower thingy that he won for you and wear it in your hair," she added as she clapped her hands together.

Lorelai blinked in shock as she accurately described the picture that had just flashed through her mind moments before. "Maybe," she murmured in a voice filled with doubt.

"Definitely," Sookie said with a decisive nod. "You guys haven't been away together since he got back. It's time that you took a little romantic trip," she insisted.

"I'm not sure going to the Renaissance Faire is Luke's idea of a romantic weekend," Lorelai said dryly.

"It will be if you're there," Sookie said adamantly. She pulled the blouse from the rack and asked, "Do you honestly think he could resist this?"

Lorelai laughed and joked, "Well, hey, what man could?"

"Try it on," Sookie demanded as she thrust the hanger at Lorelai. "Oh, wait, that's a large," she said as she jerked it back and started to push hangers aside impatiently.

"Sookie," Lorelai tried to interject.

"Here! Perfect," Sookie said as she shoved the blouse into Lorelai's hands and gave her a helpful shove in the direction of the fitting rooms.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and said, "I don't know if I can even get Luke to go away," as Sookie followed her with the stroller.

Sookie snorted and asked, "Please, when have you ever had trouble getting Luke to do anything?"

"Yeah, but," Lorelai said as she came to an abrupt halt in front of the dressing room door.

Sookie rolled her eyes and said, "Let's leave it up to fate. Try on the blouse. If it looks as sexy on you as I think Luke will think it is, then you go," she bargained.

Lorelai looked down at the blouse with a doubtful frown and said, "Okay, deal."

"Good, now go," Sookie said as she pointed imperiously to the fitting rooms.

Lorelai leaned over Martha's stroller and muttered, "Your Mom is very bossy."

XXXX

Lorelai swung through the door of the diner with an armload of bags as Luke came out of the kitchen with an armload of plates. He paused so that she could peck a quick kiss to his lips and said, "Be back in a minute," as he went to deliver the orders to their respective patrons.

Lorelai dropped the bags next to her usual stool and hopped up onto it with a smile. She had to admit, Sookie had worked her over. Now, she was excited by the prospect of stealing Luke away from Stars Hollow for a weekend. When he rounded the end of the counter, she smiled brightly and said, "Hey, Burger Boy."

"Hey," he said as he approached her slowly. "You look happy. Good day?" he asked with a pleased smile of his own.

"Yeah, we had fun," Lorelai said as she watched him pull out a mug and pour her a cup of coffee. "Wow, didn't even have to beg," she said with an impressed nod.

"Well, what can I say? I missed you today," he said in a low voice.

"I have a proposition for you," she said softly as she leaned forward, propping her elbows on the counter.

"Yes, please," he said with a devilish smile.

"Not that kind of proposition," she said quickly. "Well, that kind too, but later," she amended quickly, sending him an awkward wink.

"Suddenly, you're full of proposals," he teased.

"As long as you keep saying yes," she tossed off with a casual shrug.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

Lorelai looped a finger through the handle of the mug and turned it slowly back and forth on the countertop as she asked, "Would you like to go away with me for a weekend?"

"Yes," he answered with a decisive nod.

"You would?" she asked as she cocked her head in surprise.

"Definitely. Actually, I was thinking about the same thing," he added as he rubbed his hands together gently and then shoved them into the back pockets of his jeans as he rocked back on his heels.

"You were?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said with a small smile. "You're shocked," he said with a laugh.

"Uh, mildly," she admitted as she lifted the mug and took a sip of her coffee.

"Man, I must really suck at this stuff," Luke mumbled. "You keep beating me to everything," he grumbled.

Lorelai shook her head as she swallowed and said, "No, it's just surprising that we were both thinking the same thing."

"So, where were you thinking?" he asked with a jerk of his chin.

"Um, Portsmouth, actually," she confessed.

Luke grinned down at her and said, "Me too."

"You were?" she gasped.

Luke shrugged and said, "Well, we were talking about it the other night, and it got me thinking."

"I love it when you get to thinking," she said with an affectionate smile.

"Yeah, but we'd have to go this weekend, otherwise we run the risk of running into the Ren-Faire freaks, and if Liz knew I was within fifty miles of her and didn't see her, she'd kill me," he said with a shrug.

Lorelai's face fell as she said softly, "Oh, I, um, kind of wanted to go to the faire."

"You do?" Luke asked as he jerked his head back in surprise.

"Well, yeah," she admitted with a shrug. "But we don't have to," she hastened to add.

"You want to, though?" he asked with a concerned frown.

Lorelai shook her head and said quickly, "No, I know it's silly. You'd hate it." She stared at her coffee for a second and then blurted, "Oh, please, Luke, please? I know you think it's freaky, but I have such good memories of that day."

"Okay," he answered with a nod.

"And we can just walk around and do our own thing, we don't have to hang out with Liz and T.J. the whole time," she went on in a rush.

"That's fine if that's what you want to do," he told her.

"And I really want to watch you hit that thing with the big hammer again," she babbled.

"Lorelai, I said okay," he said firmly.

"And I can wear my flowers in my hair. The ones that you won for me, remember? They're hanging over the mirror on my dresser," she went on.

Luke reached out and covered her hand with his as he gave it a squeeze and said loudly, "Lorelai, I said yes."

Behind her, Babette turned to Patty and said in a loud raspy voice, "I thought she'd already proposed and he said yes. Am I missin' somethin' here?"

"I can't believe that they went modern," Patty murmured with a sad shake of her head.

"Pipe down," Luke barked at them. "Mind your own business," he ordered before returning his attention to Lorelai.

"Yes?" she asked hopefully.

Luke nodded and said, "Sure, if that's what you want to do, that's what we'll do."

The smile bloomed over her face again as she said, "You are the perfect man."

Luke grinned and leaned onto the counter as he added, "On one condition."

"Always a catch," Lorelai sighed under her breath. "Okay, what is it?" she asked.

Luke quirked an eyebrow at her as he said, "The first night, we stay at the Sise Inn, but the second night, you're staying in a tent with me."

"A tent?" she asked. "At the fairgrounds?"

Luke nodded and moved in closer as he said in a low deep voice, "It's payback for all of those nights of torment on the phone."

Lorelai blinked as she absorbed his words and whispered, "Okay." Luke smiled at her capitulation, and straightened up with a cocky tilt to his chin. Lorelai shook her head to clear it and flashed him a challenging smile of her own as she said, "But don't be so sure about the payback. I have a few weapons at my disposal," she said with a saucy smile.

Luke's heart hammered in his chest as he stared at the girl he loved so much, standing before him smiling as she hadn't smiled in weeks. "Well then, I guess that this is war." He leaned across the counter and gave her a quick kiss. "Make the reservation for a week from Friday. I'll handle the camping stuff," he told her.

Lorelai beamed at him and asked, "Hey, do you think the guys will play those games and stuff? I really want to see you joust someone."

"There was no jousting," he said dryly. "But, I'm sure it won't be hard to scare up a challenger or two," he said with a smug smile.

"You'll call Liz and tell her we're coming?" Lorelai asked as she took another sip of her coffee and then slid from her stool.

"I will," he said with a nod.

"You coming over tonight?" she asked as she gathered her bags.

Luke nodded again and said, "Caesar's closing, so I should be there in about an hour or so."

Lorelai smiled and said, "Good, 'cause I have another offer to make that I'm pretty sure you won't refuse."

Luke bobbed his head slowly and said, "Be there as soon as I can."

"Bye, Doll," Lorelai called as she headed for the door.

The bells jingled as she pulled the door closed behind her, and Luke clapped his hands together as he turned on his heel and then reached for the phone. He jabbed at the numbers and waited, tapping his foot impatiently as the line rang. "Hey, Liz?" he said when his sister answered. "Yeah, we're coming up," he told her. "Uh huh, yeah she did," he said with a pleased smile. "Okay, you do that, but I want it to be away from the rest of the loonies, you got it?" he asked. "Yeah, okay. Uh huh, can't wait to see you either," he said softly. "Okay, bye, Sis," he said gently before hanging up the phone. He turned suddenly and shot Babette and Patty a quick glare, just to see how fast their heads would swivel. Then, he disappeared into the kitchen, humming under his breath as he pictured his girl with flowers in her hair.


	2. The Dark Knight Seduces the Fair Maiden

**A/N: Thank you so much for your enthusiastic response to the first part of this story. Just a little reminder, I'm only covering their weekend away in this story. So, to answer some of your questions… No, they will not get married or have ten babies in the course of these three days. Just a little weekend romp to rekindle the spark and see if it they can't make it burst into flames…. **

**The Dark Knight Seduces the Fair Maiden**

Luke knew that they were stuck in a rut. He also knew himself well enough to know that if he realized that they were in a rut, the rut they were in was probably roughly the size of the Grand Canyon. The following Saturday afternoon, he opened the storage unit that he rented to pull out his camping gear. He made a mental note to call Liz that night and thank her again for planting the seed, both in his head and in Lorelai's. A couple of weeks ago, he was talking to his sister on the phone when she mentioned that the Faire circuit would be taking them near Portsmouth. The moment she mentioned the name of the town, he was a goner. Images of their first romantic weekend together flashed through his head, mixed together with a healthy does of his laughing dark haired girl wearing a wreath of silk flowers as she gnawed on a giant turkey leg.

When Liz suggested that they come up for a weekend, Luke knew instinctively that Lorelai would resist. Ever since Rory left Yale and moved into her grandparents' pool house, Lorelai had pulled into her protective shell. She still worked, and joked and talked. She still smiled and teased and flirted. She was still Lorelai, but Luke knew that she was Lorelai with a big chunk missing. The zest for it all was gone. She had little or no interest in going anywhere or doing anything, content to curl up on the couch each night. His, hers, it didn't really matter which one, as long as she didn't have to put herself out there. It was Luke that would have to coax her out to dinner under the threat of starvation because he refused to cook that night. It was Luke who pulled the movie section from the newspaper and scanned it for potential victims. Lorelai's life was on hold. They were engaged, but there had been frighteningly little talk of a wedding, at least from Lorelai. It seemed that her once unswerving decision making capabilities had gone on hiatus, her infectious joy had spread itself too thin, and her passion for life, and for Luke, had diminished under the weight of it all. He sighed as he pulled out the inflatable mattress he had bought the previous summer out of the pile and put it into the back of his truck, planning to air it up at the apartment to be sure that there were no leaks.

Lost in thought, he returned to the storage unit and unearthed his tent, eying it speculatively as he tried to decide whether the purchase of a larger tent would be wise. But, instead, his mind kept drifting to the day last week when he ran in Sookie at Doose's. He had quietly expressed his concerns to her best friend, hoping for a little guidance, or at least, a life preserver. Unfortunately, Sookie was at as much of a loss as he was in how to handle the situation. She said that Lorelai wouldn't talk about Rory. She refused to even start looking at wedding planning books or magazines, brushing Sookie off with a casual, 'Soon,' and escaping as quickly as possible. Luke must have looked stricken when she told him that, because Sookie immediately grabbed his arm and insisted that it had nothing to do with him, or how much she loved him. But since that day, Luke had begun to have doubts. He talked to Liz, knowing that his sister would give it to him right between the eyes, and she did. And thus, the plan was hatched.

The night that Liz called the apartment and spoke to Lorelai, was the first time since the night that they had gotten engaged that Luke saw that little sparkle in her eyes. He watched her carefully as she talked about the time they had been separated by circumstances beyond their control, and knew that Liz was right, it was time to do something to get a little of that spark back. He looked down at the tent and then tossed it back into the unit, deciding that it was definitely time to make room for her in his tent.

Once the thought took hold, Luke Danes was nothing if not a man of action. He spotted Sookie pushing the baby's stroller toward the pharmacy one afternoon, and cornered her near the nursing supplies. He steadfastly kept his eyes averted from the bottle nipples and breast pads as he pled his case, offering Sookie and Jackson a year's worth of monthly dinner dates at the diner and desperately throwing in that he would pay for the babysitter to boot. Sookie would have helped him anyway, if only to see her friend happy again, but Sookie St. James Belleville was no fool. The desperate mommy snapped up his offer and assured him that she would take care of it all. As she wheeled the stroller toward the front of the store, she gave him a perky smile and told him to be prepared to shell out burgers and babysitters, because it was a done deal. True to her word, that Saturday evening, Lorelai strolled into the diner with handfuls of shopping bags, a bright smile and an invitation for a romantic weekend away from it all. Luke placed his camping lantern, propane camp stove, a large cooler and an assortment of camp cookware in the back of the truck, and then he closed and locked the storage unit with a satisfied smile. He'd have to send Sookie another ham.

XXXX

Lorelai pawed through her lingerie drawer Saturday afternoon, pulling out the scraps of silk and lace that had a tendency to get shoved to the back. As she surveyed the selection, she was amazed to find a number of garments that she hadn't ever worn. Holding a blue satin teddy trimmed in cream lace she dropped with a heavy sigh to the edge of the bed. She stared down at it as she ran the silky material through her fingers, trying to remember the last time she had even thought about wearing such a thing for Luke, and failing. They were in a rut. Not that sex with Luke wasn't still great; it just had become more routine. She chuckled softly to herself as she applied the term to making love with Luke. Of course, it was really anything but 'routine.' It was still filled with desire, banked with tenderness and fueled with love. But lately, it had become something different. More careful, more reserved, there was less sizzle to the steak.

She glanced back at the bed, picturing him tucked under her flowery comforter, and knew that it was mostly her fault. She shook her head slowly as she stared down at her lap again. Ever since Rory left, day by day, Lorelai felt herself slipping away a little more. What's worse, she knew that Luke saw it too. He'd become more cautious, and less commanding, willing to take whatever she had to give. As time went by without contact with Rory, Lorelai knew that what she had been giving him was precious little.

Lorelai set the teddy aside and walked over to her closet. She reached in and pulled out the blouse Sookie had convinced her to buy and studied it with a mixture of amused disgust, and hopeful speculation. She knew she had to shake off this malaise that threatened to swallow her whole. She knew that she was hurting him too. She touched the satiny ribbon that tied the top together in front and smiled. She knew the moment that she tried it on that Sookie was right. Luke's eyes were going to pop out of his head when he saw her in this. She had stared at her reflection in the dressing room mirror, feeling the flush creep into her cheeks as a warm rush of desire coursed through her veins. She stood into front of that mirror, and pulled her hair over her shoulders as she adjusted the puffy sleeves on her arms. She slightly loosened the laces that held the bodice together, offering a tantalizing glimpse of the gently curved valley between her breasts. Touching her fingers to the neckline, she gazed at her reflection and realized that this was a big part of what she had been missing. She wanted Luke's eyes to pop. She felt wanton. The woman in the mirror was not a heartbroken mother, but a woman determined to arouse her man's lust. She wanted his hands on her, greedy and drunk with desire. She wanted his mouth, hard and hot, slaking his thirst on her skin. She wanted him to crave her. Fueled by this thought alone, she changed back into her clothes and walked out of the dressing room. Ignoring Sookie's questioning look, she marched directly to the register and paid for the slutty wench top.

After a giddy victory lap through Victoria's Secret, she and Sookie celebrated with cinnamon sugar pretzels and then headed for Stars Hollow flushed with success. She walked from Sookie's house to the diner with a spring in her step, swinging her bags in her hands. When Luke agreed to their weekend get-away, Lorelai felt a flood of relief. She walked home feeling lighter than she had in weeks. And that evening, they both knew without saying a word that they had just begun to bridge the gap that had been widening between them.

Lorelai hung the blouse back in the closet with a smile. The past week had been so much better. It was strange, but the minute they had made the decision to go to Portsmouth, everything seemed to change. Kisses were no longer simply the purvey of hello, goodbye, good morning and goodnight they had devolved into. Once again, there was kissing for the simple pleasure of the taste of his lips on hers. Slow, soft, sweet kisses sandwiched in between Lorelai's commentaries on Emeril's cooking skills. There were eager, willing, wet kisses that deepened until they obliterated the sound of the whining on Big Brother and set her on fire. But yet, in typical Luke fashion, it was simply that, kissing. They hadn't made love in over a week. It seemed as though she had unwittingly agreed to some unspoken desire to wait, to let the anticipation build again as it had so long ago.

Lorelai smirked as she glanced at the clock and realized that Luke would be there soon. He was taking her out to a Mexican restaurant that had just opened because tonight was his night off from the stove. She quickly scooped the pile of lingerie from the bed and dumped it unceremoniously back into the drawer. As she went to close it, she paused and plucked a red lace bra and g-string from the wad of material. She smiled as she carried them into the bathroom, planning to test Luke's resolve that very evening, after all, she had agreed to nothing.

Her smile widened as she dropped the tiny bits of lace onto the vanity and thought about his phone call that afternoon. She loved to talk to him on the phone, his voice still sounded deeper to her, his speech a little slower and more deliberate, almost like a caress. He had told her that he had a couple of errands to run to get ready for their trip, but that he would be over to shower and get ready at her house, since most of his 'date-like' clothes had somehow migrated to her place. She shook her head at his naiveté as she turned on the water on and pulled the knob on the spout to start the shower. She didn't tell him that the reason that his 'date-like' clothes were all at her house was that they usually ended up strewn in tangled, twisted heaps lining a path from the door to the bed, and then got tossed in with her laundry. She loved it when she pulled a load of clothes from the dryer and found his stray shirts and boxers mixed in with her clothes. Naturally, they usually ended up in the baskets of clean clothes that she never seemed to get around to hanging in her closet. She stepped under the spray and slicked her hair back from her face as she let the warm water flow over her. She dumped a pool of shampoo into her palm and got down to the beautification process, humming to herself as she debated whether pulling out her black mini was playing fair or not.

Luke pulled up to the house thirty minutes earlier than he expected, but he didn't want to go back to the diner for fear that Caesar would snag him and make him late. He knocked but got no answer. Knowing that the door would be unlocked, he opened it and stepped into the foyer calling, "Hello? Lorelai?"

He stood in the entry for a moment and then realized that the sounds he heard were water rushing through the pipes and Lorelai singing at the top of her lungs in the shower. He smiled and he started to climb the stairs as she bellowed, "I want you to want me. I need you to need me. I'd love you to love me. I'm begging you to beg me."

"Hello?" Luke tried again as he stepped into the room.

"Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you crying? Oh, Luke, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you crying?" she sang loudly. Luke stopped at the bathroom door and grinned when he heard her sing his name. He glanced down and his eyebrows shot up as he reached out and picked up the skimpy thong and let it dangle from his index finger. "When I wear that black skirt tonight, you'll feel like dyin'. Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?" She giggled to herself as she sang in an exaggeratedly sexy voice, "Oh, Luke, I want you to want me." Luke grinned, dropped the thong and immediately reached for the buttons on his shirt. He managed to get two undone before he lost patience and shucked them both over his head. "I need you to need me, Luke," she sang happily in her best Mae West voice. Luke toed off his boots and quickly unbuckled his jeans, hoping the sounds would be muffled by the shower and her singing. Lorelai paused as she smoothed the lather from her hair and then sang out in a whispery Marilynn Monroe voice, "Luke, I'd love you to love me."

Luke pushed his boxers down and kicked them aside as he jerked the curtain back, stepped into the tub, and closed it behind him, making her screech and jump. "You scared me to death," she panted as she pressed her hand to her heart.

Luke stepped closer to her and pressed her back against the cool tiled wall as he growled, I want you." He captured her lips with his, swallowing her gasp as he kissed her hard and hot, his hands sliding over the curve of her waist and pulling her against him. He parted her lips with his and teased her tongue, massaging it demandingly as he pressed against her soft curves.

When he bent to kiss the soft skin of her neck, Lorelai pressed her head back against the wall and clung to his shoulders for balance. "Oh, Luke," she sighed as he kissed the throbbing pulse in her throat.

"I need you," he murmured against her neck. His hands slid up to cup her breasts, kneading them gently as he let his palms skim over her nipples. He bent down and drew one beaded tip into his mouth and sucked hungrily.

"Oh, I need you," she breathed as she let her hands roam over his shoulders and back. "I need you," she said in an aching voice.

Luke released her breast and straightened up as he gazed down at her, watching as she responded to his touch. He ran the pads of his thumbs over her hardened nipple and kissed her again, catching her moan in his mouth and returning it with one of his own. Reluctantly he drew back and waited for her eyes to slowly open and meet his. "I love to love you," he said in a soft, raspy voice. He let his hands trail slowly down over her stomach and then his left hand slipped behind her to gently squeeze her ass. He tangled his fingers in the soft curls that covered her sex and let his fingertips graze teasingly over her clit. He licked his lips in anticipation as he asked, "Please, Lorelai, please?"

She nodded as she stared up at him, her eyes glazed with desire. She tightened her hold on his shoulder as she lifted her leg and hooked it over his hip. "Yes, please, Luke, please," she said in a voice thick with need.

Luke positioned himself at her entrance and then began to push slowly into her. "Oh," he sighed as he sank into her welcoming warmth.

"Oh, God," Lorelai whispered. "I was so afraid," she said softly.

Luke paused as he asked, "Afraid of what?"

"That maybe you didn't want me. Or, that you'd make me wait," she admitted.

Luke thrust up into her, groaning as she squeezed him in her tight, wet walls. "Now, that's just silly," he admonished with a smile.

Lorelai smiled at him as she wrapped her arm around his neck. "You're right, it was silly," she said with a chuckle.

"No more waiting for us," he said as he began to move inside of her with deliberately slow, hard strokes.

"God, no," she murmured.

Luke braced her thigh against his hip, kneading the silky smooth skin with his hand as he thrust into her. "I always want you," he said in a voice hoarse with yearning. "Oh, God you feel so good," he groaned as leaned in and kissed her possessively. "Need, need you," he panted as he began to move faster, sliding his other hand up to squeeze her breast roughly.

"Oh yes," she moaned. "So much," Lorelai panted.

"Too much," Luke ground out. "It's too much, how I love you," he whispered in her ear.

"Luke," she gasped.

"Oh, please, please, please, Lorelai," he chanted into her ear.

"God, Luke," she cried as she felt her muscles tensing and the heat building inside of her.

"Please let me love you, oh, Lorelai, I need you," he said raggedly. "So badly, want you so badly."

"Luke," she whispered desperately as she tumbled over the edge, her nails digging into his shoulder as she cried his name again.

"Oh, yes," Luke groaned as he continued to thrust into her. "God, Lorelai, yes," he panted as he looked down and watched as he slid into her over and over again. "Yes!" he said loudly as he clutched her to him again and began to shoot into her, filling her as he shuddered with release, holding her tightly.

"Oh, Hon," she whispered as she ran her hand over his wet hair.

Luke pressed his lips to her temple absently as he slowed, his muscles quivering beneath her fingers. "So much," he murmured.

"Me too," she answered softly.

Luke pressed his forehead to hers as he tried to catch his breath. He smiled that little satisfied smile that always made her heart swell and asked, "Did I beg enough?"

"Just right," she said with a laugh.

"I can beg more," he offered gruffly.

Lorelai moved her head from side to side, rolling her forehead against his as she said, "No that was perfect."

Luke licked his lips and said softly, "You won't need the skirt, but I am interested in the stuff on the sink."

Lorelai pressed her lips to his in a playful kiss. She smiled tenderly and said, "Picked it out just for you, Doll."

XXXX

The following Friday afternoon, Luke glanced over to see if Lorelai had awakened from her nap. He smiled when he saw her blue eyes flutter open. "Forty three miles," he said with a nod.

Lorelai blinked at him blearily and said in a raspy, but accusatory tone, "You turned the radio off."

"You were asleep," Luke answered with a shrug.

"Luke, you're not allowed to turn the tunes off when you're on a road trip," she said as she reached out to turn it back on again.

Luke shook his head and said, "Sorry, but I lost all desire to walk like an Egyptian somewhere around the outskirts of Boston."

Lorelai shook her head and said, "Mocking the Bangles. Doesn't bode well for your weekend, my friend," she said gravely.

Luke smiled as he reached for her hand and said, "I think you'll forgive me eventually."

Lorelai gave his hand a squeeze and asked, "So, what do you want to do when we get there?"

Luke flashed a quick grin and asked, "How much trouble am I in for the radio thing?"

"Not so much," she answered with a quick shake of her head.

"You wanna try to go to that seafood place we never made it to last time?" he asked.

Lorelai nodded and said, "Yes, unless you distract me again. In that case, I'm okay with pizza."

Luke drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and said, "I want to take you out tonight."

"Then we'll go out," she said with a decisive nod.

"But if you want to stay in," he started to backtrack.

Lorelai looked over at him and said, "It's your weekend too. If you want to go out tonight, we'll go out tonight."

"And then I want you naked for the rest of the night," Luke added quickly.

Lorelai smiled and said, "Well, I'll do my best to meet your demands, but you don't get to call all of the shots."

"Just a few," he said with a nod.

Lorelai glanced back at the back of the Jeep which was crammed full of stuff. "Are our bags on top?" she asked.

"Yep," Luke answered. "This car drives like crap, by the way," he grumbled.

"Well, that's not gonna get you laid," she said dryly. "Besides, I don't think the owner of the big green behemoth has any room to talk," she taunted.

"I'm serious. You should start looking at new cars," he said with a frown. "I'm not sure that this thing is very safe."

"Of course it's not, it has a canvas roof," she said with a laugh. "Don't roll us over," she ordered.

"Lorelai," he said in an exasperated tone.

"I mean it. The only rolling over you're allowed to do is in bed," she teased.

"The alignment's off," he grumbled.

Lorelai shrugged and said, "So it's a little off kilter, so am I. We balance each other out."

"I'm getting it fixed when we get back," he said darkly. Luke pursed his lips as he kept his eyes glued to the road ahead of them. Finally, he said, "I was worried sick last summer, thinking about you driving all that way all alone in this thing."

"Aw, Hon," she said, immediately dropping the teasing tone and rubbing her thumb over his. "Seriously, Luke, I love this car. It has been a great car," she told him.

"I guess," he grumbled.

"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," she reminded him gently.

"I know that," he said quickly. "Doesn't mean that I can't worry," he added stubbornly.

"Well, you don't have to worry now, I'm with you," she cajoled.

Luke nodded and decided it was time to change the subject. "You're sure you want to go to the faire tomorrow?" he asked as he ran his thumb absently over her engagement ring, turning it on her finger.

"Positive," she answered.

"And you're okay with the camping thing?" he asked worriedly.

"Are you going to protect me from things that go bump in the night?" she asked.

"Definitely," he answered.

Lorelai nodded and said, "Then I'm okay with it."

Luke nodded as they lapsed into comfortable silence. The miles melted away as they were both lost in thought. Lorelai gazed at the scenery as it whizzed past and thought about the pretty dress she had brought, anticipating Luke's plan to go out for a nice dinner. Luke stared at the lines on the road as he remembered the scenarios that played out in his head the previous summer, all of which involved walking into his tent and finding Lorelai there waiting for him.

XXXX

Lorelai unlocked the door to room twenty and Luke stepped inside, dropping their bags on the luggage rack before surveying the room carefully. "Well, looks like nothing has changed," he said with a satisfied nod.

Lorelai smiled and said, "No, inns like the Sise and the Dragonfly are very resistant to change."

Luke smiled back over his shoulder and said, "Must be why I like them."

Lorelai wrapped her arms around his waist and dropped her forehead to his back with a chuckle as she said, "I know, you are not highly adaptable."

"No," he agreed with a soft laugh.

Lorelai giggled as she rubbed her hands over the snug ribbed t-shirt he wore. She pressed her lips to the back of the shirt, letting her warm breath seep through the material as she slipped one hand up under the hem. She let her fingers glide gently over the fine hair that dusted his stomach as she asked, "What do you want to do now?"

Luke smiled and answered, "Well, we could go for coffee, but I have a feeling I'll just end up dragging you right back here again."

"Maybe we should just give up all pretenses and become nudists," she said as she slipped her other hand under his shirt. She caressed his stomach and chest possessively as she pressed her breasts into his back, smiling as she felt his breath quicken.

"You're probably right," he said with a chuckle as she began to push his shirt up. "Man, not even two minutes in the room," he said with a grin.

"You're irresistible," she said as she tugged it at his shoulders and waited for him to lift his arms.

"You're insatiable," he countered as he acquiesced, allowing her to toss his shirt aside. He tuned to face her and cupped her bare arms in his hands as he said, "I want to wait for tonight."

"You said the other day that there would be no more waiting," she accused.

"Well, not for days or anything," he said with a shrug. "I'm afraid that we're gonna get naked and we're never gonna get up," he explained.

Lorelai ran her fingers over the fly of his jeans and said, "You're already up."

Luke smirked at her and said dryly, "Yes, quite the achievement on your part."

"Luke," she whined.

"Would you settle for some passionate necking with a side of fooling around?" he asked hopefully.

"You're so weird about things," she said impatiently.

Luke ran his hand over her hair as he said quietly, "Lorelai, I'd like to take you out for a romantic diner. I want to drink wine and hold your hand across the table. Maybe this place will have dancing or something. I want you to wear a pretty dress, I'm going to shave," he added with a self deprecating smile. "And then, I want to bring you back here and make love to you," he said in a throaty voice. "I know you think it's strange, but sometimes, I just want to do things the way that I think they ought to be done," he finished with a shrug.

Lorelai smiled as she reached up to cup his cheek lovingly. "Okay," she agreed softly.

"Thank you," he replied as he bent to kiss her tenderly.

Lorelai pulled back and nodded as she bit her lip. She looked up at him coyly and asked, "So what does this fooling around entail?"

"First and second bases," he said with a stern look.

"Any chance of stealing third?" she asked hopefully.

Luke smirked and warned, "Well, you'd have to watch the third base coach for the signal, and you'll probably have to slide in."

Lorelai frowned and said, "I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I like the sound of it," as she gave his denim clad butt a playful squeeze.

XXXX

Lorelai stepped from the bathroom and gave him a little twirl, letting the skirt of her ice blue dress flare and swing around her lightly tanned legs. Luke looked up from buckling his belt and said in a low deep voice, "You look incredible."

Lorelai sauntered over to him and plucked at the button on his blue dress shirt. She looked up at him from under her lashes and said, "Those eyes should be illegal."

Luke snorted and said, "You should talk."

"Sure you don't want to stay in?" she asked in a husky voice.

"You are bad," he said softly as he wavered for a moment. He cleared his throat and took a step back as he said, "I'm taking you out."

"Okay," she said with a beleaguered sigh.

"And then I'm bringing you back," he added as he plucked his black shoes from his bag and sat down on the edge of the bed to put them on.

"You look very handsome," she said as she pulled out the necklace with the blue beads he had given her the previous summer. She hooked it around her neck and turned back to him as she asked, "What color are they now?"

Luke finished tying his shoes and looked up at her. He smiled as he rose slowly and stepped toward her as he reached out and lifted the necklace from her collarbone. He fingered the lightest blue of the beads and whispered, "Happy."

Lorelai smiled up at him and said, "Yes, I am."

Luke kissed her softly and said, "That's all I want."

"Ready?" she asked him as she picked her purse up off of the dresser.

Luke smiled as he lowered the necklace, smoothing his fingertips over it as it rested on her collarbone. He touched the darkest blue bead and said gruffly, "Can't wait to see this one."

"Stop or we're staying here," she warned sternly.

"Come on, then," he said as he took her hand in his and led her toward the door. He held the door open for her and said, "I'll bet you're starving."

"You'd win," she said with a cheeky grin as she swept past him.

XXXX

Lorelai looked down at her hand, which Luke held in a firm grasp on the white tablecloth, and asked, "Do I get that back when our food comes?"

"Maybe," he said as he turned the diamond back and forth on her finger.

"You do that all the time," she said as she nodded toward their hands.

"Do what?" he asked.

"Play with my ring," she answered with a smile. "Territorial much?" she asked.

Luke smiled slowly and said, "Proud."

"It's a beautiful ring," she said as she looked down at it.

Luke smiled as he held it up to look closer at it and said, "It suits you."

"I think so," she said smugly.

Luke grinned at her and asked, "Sure you wanna marry a guy like me?"

Lorelai shook her head and said, "No, not a guy like you. You," she said firmly.

"You know, a part of me is still surprised that I get to kiss you," he said with a sheepish grin.

Lorelai smiled back and said, "A part of me is still surprised that you want to. Are you sure that you want to be stuck with me for life?" she teased.

"Absolutely sure," Luke said as the server appeared beside their table. He gave her fingers a small squeeze and reluctantly released her hand as their entrees were served.

"You wanna think about it some more?" Lorelai teased as she sat back and watched with avid interest as her plate appeared before her.

"Nope," Luke said as he refilled her wine glass.

"Trying to get me drunk?" she asked.

"Yep," he answered with a smug smile.

"Not necessary," she said. She leaned closer to him and whispered, "You had me at 'happy.'"

Luke leaned forward also and said softly, "I like to see you happy."

"You make me happy," she retorted.

Luke smirked and said, "Too bad we didn't go to IHOP, the sap is really flowing tonight."

"Ooh, IHOP," she said with a wistful sigh.

"Says the girl with the massive platter of lobster in front of her," he said as he shook his head.

"Are you sure you don't want to try some?" she asked.

Luke shook his head and said, "I'm not much of a fan of shellfish," as he speared a piece of his fish.

"You eat shrimp," she argued.

"Yeah but I didn't just see them climbing around in a tank," he countered.

"You catch fish and eat them," she pointed out.

"Enjoy your lobster," he said gruffly.

"You don't know what you're missing," she said as she shook her head sadly.

He watched as she dunked a chunk in clarified butter and then popped it into her mouth, chewing with a vaguely sexual moan. He used his fork to toy with his rice pilaf and asked in a cautious tone, "So, what are you thinking about the wedding?"

Lorelai dropped her eyes to her plate as she speared another bit of lobster and muttered, "Not you too," under her breath.

Luke bristled, but tried to keep the fear and impatience out of his voice as he rested his fork on the edge of his plate. "You know, I think I have a right to ask," he said in a quiet voice. He reached for his glass of beer and said, "I mean, you asked, I said yes, we talked vaguely about a plant or a kid, I bought you a ring, and then nothing."

"I know," Lorelai said as she stared at her lobster, a flush of shame creeping into her cheeks.

Luke softened slightly as he asked, "I guess I just need to know, do you still want to?"

Lorelai looked up, her blue eyes clear and determined as she said, "Oh, yes. Luke, I'm sorry."

"We can keep things the way they are if you want to," he offered quickly as he took a fortifying sip of his beer.

"No, no," she said shaking her head adamantly. "I want this, I do," she insisted. "I just, I guess I'm just not really thinking that way yet. I just want to enjoy this," she said lamely.

"Okay, that's fine," Luke said as he placed his glass on the table and picked up his fork again. "I just wanted to be sure that you still wanted this," he said softly.

"More than anything," she answered firmly.

"Okay, well, I guess we'll just enjoy it for a little while," he said as he scooped up some of his rice.

"I want it. The wedding, the kid thing," she said with a slightly bashful smile. "I really do," she assured him.

Luke nodded as he focused his attention on his meal again. He took a bite and then looked over at her as he chewed slowly. He swallowed the morsel of fish and said, "You do look beautiful tonight. I mean, you look beautiful every day, but tonight," he stammered. "I like your dress," he finished sheepishly.

Lorelai smiled happily as she said, "And I like you." she speared a bit of lobster and held it up to him as she asked, "Bite?"

Luke shook his head at her persistence and said, "No, thank you. I'm fine with what I have."

XXXX

After dinner, they drove back to the Sise Inn with Lorelai chattering on about the things she wanted to do at the faire the next day as Luke voiced his sarcastic spin on each activity. "And then you'll stop shaving your legs, right?" he asked with a smirk when she mentioned that she'd like to learn to dip candles.

"Do you want me to? Are you turned on by the hairy girls, Luke?" she teased.

"No, not in the least," he said as he parked in the lot between the inn and the carriage house.

Lorelai reached over and stroked his smooth cheek and asked, "You like me silky smooth?"

"Without a doubt," he said with a grin as he opened his door and hopped out to go open hers.

He held his hand out to help her down from the Jeep. "Thank you, good sir knight," she said with a cheeky grin as she swung her legs out of the open door, offering him an enticing glimpse of her legs. He helped her down, steadying her on her high heeled sandals when she swayed toward him a bit. Lorelai giggled and said, "Too much wine."

Luke wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close for a moment as he said, "I'd say just enough."

Lorelai eyed him suspiciously as she asked, "Are you trying to take advantage of me?"

Luke smiled and kissed her lightly and answered, "But of course, milady."

"How very un-chivalrous of you," she chastised as he lopped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him as they walked toward the carriage house.

"Dark knight," he said with a nod.

Lorelai looked up with a frown and said, "Actually, I think the moon is pretty bright."

Luke chuckled and said, "No, I meant that I was a dark knight." He opened the door to the carriage house and let her precede him to their room. Lorelai waited patiently as he slid the key into the door, and then she walked into the room again.

She smiled when she saw the comforter pooled at the bottom of the bed and the slightly rumpled sheets and said, "Someone has been fooling around in our bed."

Luke smirked and said, "I wonder who it could have been," as he began to unload his pockets.

Lorelai watched as he pulled her car keys and some change from the front pocket of his black dress pants and then reached around to free his wallet from the back. She stepped closer to him and said softly, "I love that."

"What?" he asked as he tossed the lot of it onto the dresser.

Lorelai shrugged and said, "Watching you."

Luke grinned and asked, "How drunk are you?"

"I'm not drunk, I'm tipsy," she corrected in an affronted voice. She reached out and trailed her fingertips along the buttons on his shirt and said, "I like watching you unload," she said with a nod to the pile on the dresser. "It's, I don't know, intimate, domestic, I guess," she said with a nod as she searched for the right words. "I like seeing your keys and wallet on my dresser. I like funding your laundry mixed in with mine," she said as she plucked at a button. "Is that weird?" she asked as she looked up at him with a slight frown.

"Not weird," Luke said softly as he reached up to cup her cheek with his right hand. His thumb stroked her jaw gently as he saw her part her lips in anticipation of his kiss. "Perfect," he said gruffly as he bent his head and kissed her tenderly. He pulled back only slightly as his eyes opened to meet hers. He ran his left hand over her dark curls, barely skimming over them as he kissed her again, drawing her lips against his and savoring the taste of butter, wine and Lorelai. He pressed his hand into her soft hair and sighed deeply as he held her closer, deepening the kiss.

Lorelai moaned softly as his tongue met hers and angled her head to allow him better access to her. Luke fisted his hand in her hair and then released it quickly as he cradled the back of her head, holding her firmly in place as his tongue swirled and danced with hers. His fingers slipped from her cheek to her neck, stroking the soft skin with a light teasing touch. The kiss intensified as neither felt any desire to break the connection. Luke stroked the slender column of her throat with his thumb, pressing his fingertips to the pulse that jumped and skittered beneath his touch. He shifted, angling his head in the other direction as he kissed her sweetly, mesmerized by the soft puffs of her breath against his lips. Lorelai ran her hand possessively over the hard ridges of muscle in his back and looked up at him with blue eyes clouded with desire. He captured her lips again, parting them with his and kissing her with unchecked need, drawing her tongue into his mouth and sucking it gently and then releasing it to nibble on her bottom lip. He let his hand trail down, grazing her breast and eliciting a gasp of desire from Lorelai as he reached around her back to find the zipper on her dress. He pulled it down with excruciating slowness, revealing each inch of silken skin. He slipped his hand into the parted material and let his fingers splay over her back as he pressed her closer to him with a groan.

Reluctantly, he loosened his hold on her and gently pulled his mouth from hers. His chest heaved with repressed passion as he looked down at her and touched his fingertip to the necklace that rested in the hollow of her throat. He waited until she opened her dazed eyes and said softly, "I'm going for this one," as he touched the darkest bead. He studied her eyes for a moment and then said, "Almost there," as he captured her mouth again and kissed her ardently. His hands moved to her shoulders and began to push her dress from them, as her hands flew to the front of his shirt and began to free each button from its hole. Luke grunted in frustration as he reached up to capture her hands and pull them down so that the dress could fall freely, pooling at her feet. He kept them there, holding them firmly at her sides as he stepped into her, feeling the heat of her skin through his shirt. Lorelai freed her hands with a whimper of frustration and placed her palms flat against his chest, pushing back at him gently as she sought to finish her task. She parted the material of his shirt and pushed it down his arms impatiently. Luke tore his mouth from hers as he rocked back on his heels to let her finish pulling it free of his arms, and opened his eyes slowly. Lorelai heard his sharp intake of breath as he looked down at her, and glanced down at the blue satin teddy with the softly draped tap pants she had brought to wear for just such an occasion. "You like," she asked breathlessly.

Luke swallowed hard and said in a hoarse voice, "I love."

Lorelai gave him a smile filled with pure feminine pleasure and said, "I realized that you don't often get the full treatment."

Luke traced his fingertips over the cream colored lace that edged the satin and said, "Don't need it, but I really appreciate it."

Lorelai ran her hand over his white undershirt and said, "I thought you might."

"You look," he whispered and then shook his head, completely unable to find the words.

"Thank you," she said softly as she reached up to press her lips to his. "Shall we lose the stupid shoes?" she asked in a soft teasing voice as she steadied herself on his arm and reached back to slide the strap of her sandal from her heel. She quickly repeated the motion on the other side, and then looked up at him expectantly as she stood flat footed between his legs.

Luke stepped back a little and toed off his shoes, kicking them impatiently under the bed muttering, "Hate the shoes."

Lorelai smiled at him and said, "Don't worry, you're still a smooth operator," she slid her hands under the thin cotton of his undershirt seeking the solid warmth of him.

"And you're still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he said softly as he stroked her hair, twisting a tendril around his finger.

"So smooth," she said with a smile as she pushed his shirt up and quickly stripped it from him. She kissed him, cradling his head in her hands as her fingers smoothed his hair back into place.

Luke gathered her to him, deepening the kiss as he loosened the reins on his need for her. He released her lips and bent and swept her legs out from under her. Lorelai gasped and then giggled as he carried her over to the bed and placed her gently on the snow white sheets. He looked down at her and smiled as he said, "I realize that you don't often get the full treatment."

"I appreciate it," she said with a wide smile as she ran her hand over the sheets next to her in invitation.

Luke's eyes crinkled at the corners as he gazed down at her affectionately and reached for his belt. He quickly released it and opened his pants, letting them fall to his ankles before he bent to strip them off along with each sock. He crawled onto the bed in his boxers and said with a grin, "Sorry, I don't have any sexy underwear for you."

"These will do just fine," Lorelai said as she hooked a finger into the waistband of his boxers and pulled him closer to her.

Luke propped himself up on his elbow next to her, looking down at her dark curls spread over the pillowcase and the pale satin that set off her light summer tan. He smiled and said, "I almost don't know where to start."

"Here's a tip," she said as she tapped her finger to her lips.

"Thanks," he said with a smile as he leaned over and kissed her lingeringly.

Lorelai reached for his hand and carried it up to her face, pressing his palm against her cheek as she whispered, "And right here."

"I think I've got it now," he murmured against her lips. He stroked her face and hair as he let his lips trail across her cheek to her ear and nipped at her earlobe softly. Lorelai shivered a little when he opened his mouth and sucked gently as the sensitive spot under her ear. "Cold?" he asked softly.

"Not even close," she answered as she ran her hand up his arm.

"Happy?" he asked as he nipped at the side of her neck.

"So happy," she sighed as he gently tugged the skin into his mouth and sucked, letting his tongue tease the soft skin.

"Me too," he said as he moved across her collarbone, rolling against her and pressing the hard length of his arousal to her thigh.

"I guess so," she giggled as she felt him rub against her leg.

Luke nipped at the necklace, moving it out of his way with his teeth before he dipped his tongue into the soft hollow at the base of her throat. He felt rather than heard her soft purr of pleasure and moved lower, blazing a trail of hot wet kisses over the freckles on her chest and down to the creamy edge of the teddy. He caught the lace in his teeth and gave it a tug as he growled playfully deep in his throat. Lorelai laughed and threaded her fingers through the wavy curls at the nape of his neck, but her laughter caught in her throat as he dipped his tongue down under the lace and let his tongue flick greedily over the soft swell of her breast. He groaned as he nuzzled the hardened tip of it through the satin, and cupped her breast in his hand, rubbing his fingers over the slick material. He pressed his lips to her nipple, feeling it bead and harden further through the thin barrier before he opened his mouth and suckled her through the satin.

Lorelai moaned loudly and arched up into him as she tightened her fingers in his hair. "Luke," she gasped.

"Oh, God," he groaned as he hands became frantic, skimming between the slippery soft satin to the silky smooth skin of her arms and thigh as he bit her nipple gently, holding it between his teeth and fought the urge to devour her whole. He released it, blowing gently over the damp material as it settled back against the feverish skin beneath. He turned and proceeded to lavish the same attentions to her other breast, licking sucking and nipping at the soft material until she writhed beneath him. Luke skimmed one hand over the satin to her thigh, where he slipped his fingers up under the softly draped fabric and found it damp with arousal. He touched his finger to her damp curls and moaned loudly as Lorelai parted her legs further in invitation. He allowed that intrepid finger to dance teasingly along the soft folds of her sex as he drew her satin covered nipple deeper into his mouth.

"Luke," she panted, as her hands slipped to his shoulders and pressed gently, urging him lower, desperate to have the ache that was building inside of her eased.

Luke moved down, nuzzling and nipping at the teddy as he pressed his open mouth to her stomach and let his breath wash through the material. He pushed up, the muscles in his arms flexing as her fingers tightened on his bicep, and moved to position himself between her legs. He sat back and looked down at her, his left hand still hidden under the pale blue satin as he continued to tease her with his fingertips. He waited patiently until her eyes focused on him. He smiled with satisfaction and murmured, "There it is. That's the blue I wanted."

Lorelai exhaled raggedly and murmured, "Please?"

Without taking his eyes from hers, Luke pressed his finger into her slick folds and thrust it into her, his lips parting with lust as she opened and he felt her tight, wet, heat shoot though him like a jolt of electricity. Lorelai pressed up off of the bed, arching into his hands as she whimpered softly, her soft pink tongue darting out to lick parched lips as she panted for air. "Oh, Luke," she moaned.

Luke's eyes widened slightly as he realized how close she was. He pressed into her deeper, leaning forward to cup her sex in the palm of his hand as he thrust his fingers into her. "Yes," he murmured as he watched her eyelids flutter as she fought to keep them open.

"Luke," she moaned desperately as he pressed into her with long sure strokes. "God, Luke!" she cried as she felt her climax unfolding deep inside of her.

Luke breath caught in his throat as he watched her tumble over the edge, one hand clutching his arm, the other fisting into the sheets as her head thrashed against the white pillowcase. "Jesus," he breathed as he fought for air. "Jesus, Lorelai, look at you," he said in a rusty voice.

"Luke," she whispered as she began to come down, still squeezing his fingers tightly between her legs.

Luke's breath came in ragged gasps as he bent to press his lips to the tender skin of her thigh. "Oh, Lorelai," he murmured against her skin, fighting for control. "Lorelai, Lorelai," he whispered as he caught the damp satin between her legs and sucked it into his mouth, tasting her, drawing her essence from the slick fabric. He slowly with drew his hand and pressed the material up against her, pressing his tongue against her clit and rubbing it through the satin. "Lorelai," he murmured against her, sending vibrations shooting through her. "Oh, my Lorelai," he said as he brushed the material aside and plunged his tongue into the tender wet flesh.

"Luke!" she gasped as she rose up off of the pillow and clutched at his shoulder.

Mindlessly, Luke pressed into her, hungry for her, desperate to have her. He frantically licked at her soft folds, sinking into her with a groan of raw desire. He thrust his tongue into her heat and then dragged it the length of her, swirling around her clit and then drawing it into his mouth as he sucked demandingly. He repeated the move, pressing her legs further apart as he thrust his tongue into her and letting it trail out to tease the tender skin beneath her entrance. Lorelai gasped and squirmed above him as he drank her in, holding her hips firmly in his hands, lifting her up to him. He lapped at her urgently, his own need driving him on as he drew her clit into his mouth once more and circled it with his tongue. He felt her clench and thrust back at him and knew that she was his again.

"Oh, God," she whispered as he began to drive her up again.

Luke laved her gently, letting her build beneath him until he could feel her need again. He pressed two fingers to her entrance and groaned as she bucked against him, urging him on. He slid his fingers into her again, teasing her clit with his lips and tongue as she squeezed him tightly. He thrust into her, marveling at how wet she was, drunk on the heady scent of her surrounding him. Her soft moan was his undoing. He tore his mouth from her, abruptly withdrawing his fingers as he sat back, pushed his boxers from his hips and kicked them from the end of the bed. He was up over her within seconds, tugging the slick material aside as he positioned himself at her entrance. "Off," she whispered as she tugged at the spaghetti strap on her shoulder.

"On," he countered as he thrust into her with one stroke.

"Luke!" she moaned as her head pressed back into the pillow, exposing her throat to him.

Luke stilled, buried deep inside of her as he pressed his lips to her throat. "Beautiful," he murmured against her skin as he pulled back slowly, withdrawing to her entrance again and then thrusting into her harder.

"Oh," she gasped as she dug her nails into his back.

"Oh, yes," he groaned as he repeated his strokes, feeling the slippery satin rubbing against his stomach with each thrust. "God, yes," he grunted as he drove into her faster.

Lorelai rose to meet each thrust holding him close to her as she watched his hips rise and his ass tighten with each masterful stroke. "Luke, I'm," she panted.

"So fucking beautiful," he groaned as he plunged into her heat blindly. "So beautiful," he murmured.

"God, oh," she panted as he hand slid down over his ass, pulling him closer still as she ground up into him.

Luke looked down into her eyes and whispered, "Come on, oh, come on, baby."

"Luke," she moaned as she writhed beneath him, pulling him tight with each stroke. "God, oh God," she panted.

Luke felt her squeezing him harder and clenched his jaw, struggling to hold off his own release as he pushed into her again. "So tight," he breathed. "Oh, God," he groaned, knowing that he was lost. "So, oh," he grunted as he spilled into her, unable to hold back any longer. "Ugh," he groaned in a mixture of disappointment and relief as he continued to thrust into her heat.

Lorelai felt him tighten and release, spilling himself hot and wet into her, and moaned with pleasure. She pressed her hips down to meet each stroke and felt herself tense around him, milking his release and holding him deep inside of her. She squeezed his ass with both hands, grinding him down into her as she felt her stomach clench and her muscles coiling. "Oh, oh," she gasped against his shoulder.

"Lorelai," he whispered as he felt her squeezing and tightening around him. "Almost there," he whispered in her ear. "Let go," he said softly.

"Oh," she whispered in a voice filled with wonder as she felt her orgasm unfolding gently from within. "Oh," she moaned in a throaty voice.

Luke's arms gave way under him. He caught himself on his elbows and buried his face in her fragrant hair, breathing her in deeply. "Sorry," he whispered against her neck.

Lorelai gave a breathy giggle and asked, "For what?"

"Timing was a little off," he panted against her skin.

Lorelai chuckled as she ran her hands up his back and said, "I was the one who jumped the gun."

Luke smiled and said, "You were pretty hot and bothered."

Lorelai smiled and said, "Yeah, well, I've been wearing this thing all night, anticipating your reaction."

"How'd I do?" he asked as he lifted his head and smoothed her hair back from her face with his fingertips.

Lorelai smiled broadly and said, "Obviously, even better than I expected."

Luke tucked his chin to his chest to look down at her and reached to slide the strap gently back onto her shoulder. "This is nice," he said gruffly.

Lorelai smiled at the master of understatement and said, "Glad you approve."

Luke smiled fully, making her heart skip in her chest. He colored slightly as he said, "It was unexpected. I think that's what really did the trick." He slid his hand down over her ribs and let it settle in the curve of her waist as he rubbed the satin between his finger and thumb. "I like how it feels, warm from you, but slick and smooth." He smiled down at her and added, "And pretty."

Lorelai lifted an eyebrow and said, "Earlier it was fucking beautiful."

Luke shook his head slightly as he said, "No that was you."

Lorelai grinned and said, "You do have way with words sometimes."

"Sorry," he said with a faint blush.

"No, don't be sorry," she said as she reached up to touch the color in his cheek. "You're the only man I know who could do that to me, lie here still inside of me and still you blush," she teased gently.

Luke turned his head to kiss her palm and said dryly, "I am a man of mystery."

"Contradictions," she agreed with a nod. She ran her fingers through his rumpled hair and pulled him down to kiss him. "My dark knight," she murmured against his lips.

Luke's lips curved against hers as he said, "Fair maiden."

Lorelai giggled as she glanced down at the compromising position they were still in and said, "Not so much at the moment. More like lusty, wanton wench."

Luke pressed his lips to her forehead, tasting the faint salt on his lips as he said, "I love both of you."

"And I love you, good sir knight," she whispered as she wrapped her arms and legs around him and held him close to her.

"Tomorrow, I'll slay a dragon for you," he promised.

Lorelai smiled over his shoulder and said, "Oh, don't kill it. I've always wanted a dragon of my own. Catch it, and I'll tame it."

"Your wish is my command, Lady Lorelai," he said with a nod and a muffled chuckle.


	3. Freeing the Dragon

**Here's a nice piece of silliness to brighten a rainy afternoon…**

**Freeing the Dragon**

While Luke carried their bags out to the car, Lorelai stood in the bathroom putting the finishing touches on her make-up. She heard him come back into the room and called, "Almost ready, milord."

"The lady taketh forever," he called back dryly.

Lorelai leaned over and gave her boobs a good shake, making sure that her strapless bra was up and the girls were shown to their best advantage. She tugged on the long, gauzy turquoise skirt that sat low on her hips, and then grabbed the wreath of silk flowers from the vanity. She glanced down at the strappy white thong sandals with the turquoise beads and then back up into the mirror as she gave herself a nod of approval. She zipped her make-up bag closed and placed the wreath on her head, securing it with the bobby pins she had placed on the vanity. She opened the bathroom door and stepped out into the room to find Luke sitting on the edge of the bed flipping through television channels listlessly. She smiled and said softly, "Methinks milord will be pleased," as she turned in a slow circle for him, letting the skirt swish around her ankles.

Luke glanced over at her and then did a comical double take as he stared at her open mouthed. He turned off the television as he rose slowly from the bed and reached out to pull her to him. Lorelai giggled as she found herself hauled up against his chest and asked, "It pleaseth you?"

"Get back in bed," he growled as he lifted a hand to touch the laces tied just at the swell of her breasts.

Lorelai blinked at him in wide eyed innocence and asked, "Is that a yes?"

"Huzzah," he said as he bent his head to capture her lips with his. He smiled as he pulled back and tasted the faintly cherry flavored gloss from her lips. "We're never getting out of here," he said gruffly. "Now go change," he ordered, patting her on the bottom.

Lorelai blinked and asked, "Change? No, this is what I'm wearing. It's fairly faire-like isn't it?" she asked with a frown.

"I can't take you there like that," he hissed.

"Why not?" she asked as she glanced down, a pleased smile playing at her lips when she noted that she was looking pretty damn lusty.

"Every guy there is gonna be looking at you," he protested.

Lorelai gave him a slow smile and said, "Well, I guess you'll have to prove yourself worthy, if you want me to visit your tent tonight, good sir knight."

Luke narrowed his eyes at her and grumbled, "You'd better damn well be in my tent tonight."

"We'll see," she said with a happy twinkle in her eyes.

Luke looked down at her, lost in the happy glow he saw there. He sighed and said gruffly, "Oh, I'll prove worthy."

"See that you do," she said in a sassy tone as she pressed her lips to his.

Luke looked down at her and said, "You're really going to walk around like that all day?"

Lorelai smiled and said, "Yes."

Luke sighed as he nodded slowly and asked, "You ready?"

"I am," she told him.

Luke gave her a pointed look as he released her and walked over to open the door. He stopped her as she was about to swish past him in her flowing skirt and said in a low deep voice, "Okay, but just so you have a little something to think about, when I get you in my tent tonight, I'm unlacing that thing with my tongue."

Lorelai eyebrows shot up as she grinned and said, "Oh man, this is gonna be a fun day."

"Yeah, especially if you like walking around with a hard on all day," Luke muttered under his breath as he pulled the door closed behind him.

"What?" she asked brightly.

"Nothing," he answered quickly, shaking his head. As he held the carriage house door open for her, Lorelai let her fingers trail surreptitiously over the fly of his jeans and said, "Oh, you can do better than that," and flashed him a cheeky smile.

Luke followed her with his eyes before the rest of him trailed along. He caught her from behind and pulled her back to him, and draped his arm over her shoulder. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "You know it," as he let his long fingers dangle and brush tantalizingly against her collarbone. He saw her breath hitch slightly and said, "You're right, this is going to be a very fun day."

XXXX

Luke turned into the fairgrounds lot and turned toward the back lot where he saw a number of RVs and trailers parked. He pulled his cell phone form his pocket and dialed Liz's number. "Hey, we're here," he told her. "Uh huh. Yeah, well, we got a late start and then had to stop for supplies," he explained. "We'll have all afternoon, Sis," he said rolling his eyes. "I'm pulling back there now. Okay, see you in a few," he said before he closed the phone. He looked over at Lorelai and said, "She's coming out to meet us so that we can go in through the back gate and set up our stuff."

Lorelai nodded and said, "Good plan. You'll want that tent set up and ready to go," she added with a taunting smile.

Luke shot her a look and said, "There's no one in that field over there."

Lorelai smirked and said, "Yeah, like you'd let it all hang out in broad daylight."

Luke parked the Jeep and leaned close to her ear as he murmured, "At the moment, I'm tempted to."

Lorelai flushed with pleasure as his warm breath in her ear sent a shiver down her spine. "I'm not that kind of girl," she answered primly.

"I can make you be," he growled as he brushed her hair over her shoulder with the back of his hand.

Lorelai turned her head to look at him as she calculated the viability of straddling him there in her Jeep. "Yes you can," she said softly and then jumped when she heard someone approach her window.

Luke smiled knowingly and said, "It's Liz."

Lorelai pressed her hand to the spot where her heart hammered in her throat and then reached for the door handle. "You're here, huzzah!" Liz cried in her raspy voice.

"We're here," Lorelai answered with a happy smile as she stepped out of the Jeep. She glanced back and saw Luke unfolding himself from the driver's seat. She smiled as Liz hugged her tightly and said, "It's great to see you."

"I'm so happy to see you! And look at you," Liz gushed as she shook her head. "See, I told you that your breasts were still perky," she said happily.

"Liz, geez," Luke admonished as he came around the back of the car.

"What? They are," Liz said innocently as she reached to hug him. "Hey, big brother," she said in a voice soft with affection.

"Hey, Sis," he answered as he cradled the back of her head and then ruffled her hair a little.

Liz stepped back and surveyed his snug t-shirt and jeans as she said in a disappointed tone, "You didn't dress."

Luke snorted and asked, "Why would you think I would?"

"Lorelai did," Liz pointed out.

Luke smirked at Lorelai's triumphant smile and said, "Yeah, well, Lorelai's nuts."

Liz rolled her eyes and said, "She must be to marry a stick in the mud like you. She looks fantastic," Liz enthused as she grabbed both of Lorelai hands in hers. She looked at her sister-in-law-to-be and asked, "What do you say, should we leave Grizzly Adams here to get you guys set up while we chat?"

When Lorelai glanced over at Luke, he nodded and said, "Go ahead, I'll catch you guys at the booth in a little while."

"You sure?" she asked him.

"How are your tent pitching skills?" he asked in return.

"Non-existent," she answered with a grin.

"That would be my point," he said as he began to unload the bags of supplies he had stopped for on their way to the fairgrounds.

"I don't want to leave you with all of the work," she said with a worried frown.

Luke shook his head and said, "It won't take long."

"Come on, you know Luke, he works best alone," Liz cackled as she tugged on Lorelai's arm.

Lorelai raised her eyebrows at Luke and grinned madly as she winked at him and followed Liz toward the gates. As they approached, Lorelai noticed some old carts that were obviously used to haul supplies to and from the parking lot. She stopped and asked Liz, "Can I take one of those out to Luke?"

Liz looked over at the carts and slapped her hand to her forehead as she said, "Oh, man, yeah, I shoulda thought."

Lorelai went over and lifted the handles on a cart and began to push it back toward the parking lot as she called, "I'll be right back." She pushed it determinedly through the grassy gravel lot and up to the Jeep. "Hey," she said softly, but startled him enough to make him bump his head on the top of the door as he leaned in to retrieve something from the depths of the Jeep. "Sorry," she giggled. Luke looked over his shoulder and saw her leaning over and nodding to the cart. "Thought this might come in handy," she told him.

"Thank you," he said as he turned toward her. "I was gonna go grab one if they had any," he told her.

Lorelai nodded and said, "Saved you the trip. I want your back in good shape tonight," she added with a sassy grin.

"Lean over like that again and I'll just push you up against the car," he warned in a low voice.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him and said in a soft voice, "You are bad."

"Later I'll tell you every bad thought I've had since you stepped out of that bathroom," he promised her as he began dumping the camping equipment into the cart.

"Doesn't really matter, I hear that you work best alone," she said with a shrug.

"I would say that you're a better judge of that," Luke said dryly.

Lorelai nodded and said, "I will see you forthwith, milord," she said as she bobbed a quick curtsey and sauntered away, tossing him a sexy smile over her shoulder.

"Oh, you are so in for it," Luke muttered under his breath as the smile twitched at his lips.

XXXX

Luke got their supplies into the campground area and set the tent up a good distance from most of the others. As he waited for the air mattress to inflate, he pulled a set of sheets and two pillows from a large duffle bag. He set the cooler he had filled with snacks, drinks and ice in the corner of the tent and placed the unlit lantern on top of it. He then removed two heavy duty flashlights from a box of supplies. He stepped through the flap and surveyed their proximity to the other tents. In the seven weeks he had spent at various campgrounds with this group, he had unintentionally heard more than a few nights of passion enjoyed by various occupants. That was one of the drawbacks to camping, no thick walls, no insulation. He made a mental note to warn Lorelai about undressing with the lantern on, and turned to check on the progress the air pump was making. When the bed was fully inflated, Luke covered it with the clean, soft sheets and tossed a light blanket across it. He stepped back and eyed his handiwork critically. With one last shrug he turned and ducked through the tent flap, zipping it shut behind him.

"Hello, Lucas," he heard a woman call out from behind him.

Luke turned and saw Liz's friend, Sheila, walking toward him. "Oh, hey, Sheila," he said nervously as he started toward her, wanting to be as far from the tent as possible.

"So, you finally came to visit," she said with a welcoming smile. She gave him a bold once over and said, "Looking good, as always." She tilted her head as she studied him and said, "Hmm, I miss the ball cap."

Luke reached up and ran his hand over his hair self consciously as he chuckled and said, "Oh, yeah, I left it at home."

"Why are you set up all the way over here?" she asked, gesturing toward his tent.

"Oh, well, I like the privacy," he said as he tugged on his ear a little. "I, uh, need to get to the booth," he said as he gestured toward the faire set up.

"I'll walk with you," she said as she fell into step beside him. "Liz and T.J. seem to be doing really well this summer," she told him.

"Good, that's good," Luke said with a nod as he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "They bought a house, you know," he told her.

"Yeah, in your hometown. That's nice, to have your family nearby," she said with a smile.

"Sometimes," Luke said with a small smirk as they cut between booths.

Sheila reached out and grabbed his arm as she said, "Oh, they're over here," and pulled him in the opposite direction.

"Not by the apple dolls?" he asked as he pointed to that booth.

Sheila shook her head and said, "No, the apple doll lady, Sadie, started getting hot and heavy with Tom, the turkey leg guy?" she said, jogging his memory. "Anyway, they worked out some deal off season and squeezed Liz and T.J. out of the set up," she reported.

"That sucks," he said, turning to glare at the apple doll booth.

"Nah, it's okay. They're by the sun catcher booth now, and it's working out better for Liz. The stained glass pulls a higher class of crowd than the dolls did," she said with a sincere nod.

"I see," he said, ducking his head to smother his chuckle.

They turned another corner and Luke spotted the booth about twenty yards away. He caught a flash of turquoise and smiled when he saw Lorelai's hair whip around as she turned to glare at him. Luke frowned and looked down to see Sheila's hand still attached to his arm and stepped quickly away. When they approached, Lorelai stepped out from the booth and smiled sweetly as she asked, "Everything set up, Hon?"

"Oh yeah, we're good to go," he answered quickly. "Sheila, you remember Lorelai, don't you?" he asked gruffly.

"Yes, hello," Sheila answered coolly.

Lorelai flashed Luke a bright smile as she pressed her left hand to her throat and said, "It's nice that someone remembers me." She turned to Sheila and said, "I mean, I was only here that one day last year."

"Ah, but you make quite an impression," Luke said gruffly as he moved to drape his arm around her shoulders. "Lorelai and I are engaged," he told Sheila.

"Oh, well, congratulations," Sheila answered quickly as she sized up Lorelai's engagement ring. "Um, I have to go, I'm helping out the minstrels today," she said as she moved away. "See you guys later," she called as she took off down the row of booths.

"You go on, I'll set everything up," Lorelai sneered at him.

"I did set everything up," Luke answered defensively.

"Watch the Ren Faire Annies, Buddy," she warned as she jabbed a finger into his chest.

"Jealous?" he asked with a teasing grin.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him and asked, "You want me to scare up a date so that we can double at the bonfire tonight?"

"No," he said quickly.

"I didn't think so," she said with a smirk. "I'm watching you," she warned as she pointed two fingers at her eyes and then turned them to point at his. "Every minute," she added.

"You know, it would probably be a lot safer for both of us if we just went back to our tent now," he said in a low voice as he leaned in closer.

"Stop looking down my top," she muttered.

Luke rocked back on his heels and shrugged as he said, "You put them on display."

"I bought this for you," she said with a pointed stare.

"And I'm appreciating it," he answered solemnly.

"Lorelai! I found them!" Liz called excitedly as she picked up a couple of charms and carried them over to where Lorelai and Luke were standing. "See? Aren't they the cutest things? Pewter. You put them on at the clasp," she explained. "Little hearts, and butterflies. I'm tellin' ya, they're selling like crazy," she said as she gestured broadly. "Aren't they, Baby?" she called to T.J.

"Like crazy," T.J. agreed as he hammered something that had come loose beneath the booth.

"I have more over here," she said as she took Lorelai's arm and pulled her toward the side of the booth. Lorelai shot Luke an apologetic smile and followed his sister to the counter where Liz was already picking up tiny pewter charms and exclaiming, "Here's a dog, and a rabbit. Cats are really big. Little stars and, look, a tiny little dragon, isn't he cute?" she said with a laugh. "I think he's the last one I have," she murmured as she rummaged through the tray.

Luke watched Lorelai tuck her hair behind her ear and bend to carefully inspect the tiny charms, enjoying the view from where he stood. "Lucas!" he heard someone call jovially.

Luke turned and smiled as he said, "Hey, Henry. How's the beard?"

"You didn't forget," Henry said happily as he took Luke's hand and grasped his elbow as they shook.

"How could I forget?" Luke asked dryly.

"Hey, Liz told us that you were coming, so some of the guys and I arranged a little tournament for after the faire closes tonight," Henry said excitedly.

"Oh?" Luke asked with a smug smile.

"Well, sure. The guys figure you're probably out of shape after bein' gone for so long, so they think they have a shot," Henry said with a chuckle.

Luke glanced over at Lorelai, saw her looking at him with a smile, and knew she had overheard Henry's news. He jerked his chin at her and asked Henry, "Hey, you remember Lorelai, don't you?"

Henry turned as Lorelai approached with a friendly smile and said, "Hi, Henry."

"Uh, yeah, hi Lorelai," Henry stammered, blushing beet red as he tried, and failed at, keeping his eyes on her face.

"So, you boys are going to play your reindeer games tonight?" she asked with a bright smile as she clasped her hands casually behind her back.

Luke's eyebrows shot up as he watched Henry pointedly look away from her delightfully displayed bosom and muttered, "Yeah, games. Lucas."

"Well, very good, we'll see you later then," Luke said, feeling a little sorry for the guy.

"Yeah, see you later," Henry said quickly as he scurried away.

"Not nice," Luke said sternly as he frowned at Lorelai.

"What?" she asked innocently.

Luke shook his head and said, "Henry's a nice guy, and you just made him really uncomfortable about ogling my girl."

Lorelai grinned and said, "I can be your secret weapon tonight."

Luke smiled back at her and said, "I can win on my own."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and said, "I can help, though."

Luke turned to her and said quietly, "Okay, you win. You can have any guy here tripping over his tongue. Fine," he said firmly. "Let's just keep the teasing between us, okay?" he asked as he ran his hand down the back of her hair, pulling the yellow ribbons that streamed from her wreath over her shoulder.

"Okay," she said with a solemn nod. She looked up at him and batted her eyes as she asked, "Wanna buy me a turkey leg?"

"More than anything in the world," he answered soberly. "Let me just say hi to T.J. and talk to Liz for a minute," he said with a nod.

"Okay, I want to go look at the sun catchers," she said as she pointed to the booth next to them.

"Be there in a minute," he promised as he pecked a quick kiss to her lips. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and whispered, "Be good."

"Okay, but good is going to cost you gelato too," she warned.

"I can live with that," he said as he watched her walk toward the stained glass booth.

XXXX

Lorelai stood at the side of the aisle chewing on a piece of jerky as she and Luke watched the faire queen lead a processional to the ring for the afternoon's jousting match. Lorelai looked up at Luke and asked, "Did you joust?"

Luke snorted and asked, "Do I look like John Wayne to you?"

"John Wayne jousted?" she asked with a frown.

"No, John Wayne rode horses," Luke said with a laugh.

She cocked her head and asked, "You don't know how to ride a horse?"

"Well, yeah, I've been on a horse before, but not like that," he said as the knights in contention rode past with their lances.

"You'd look good in the armor stuff," she said as she ripped another hunk of jerky off with her teeth. "So what kind of games did you guys do?" she asked him.

"Well," Luke said as he rubbed his chin. "There were target shooting competitions, archery, you know. I wasn't all that great at those," he admitted. "I was better with throwing things. Some of the guys do highland games competitions, so we'd do hammer throws and stuff like that," he said with a nod.

"Hammer throws?" she asked incredulously.

"Not like hammer, hammers. You know, like track and field stuff," he explained.

"Ah, no wonder you beat them, Butch," she said as she gave his arm a squeeze.

As the last of the parade passed by, Luke took Lorelai's hand and led her in the opposite direction. "Yeah, well, those weren't my events, either, but I did okay with them," he told her.

"Where are we going?" she asked as she saw what seemed to be the entire population of the faire's visitors following after the queen's procession.

"Wherever they aren't," Luke answered.

"Ooh, can we look there?" she asked as she saw a wood carving booth up ahead of them.

"Sure," he answered as he headed for the booth.

Lorelai stopped and picked up a carved eagle. She looked up at the proprietor, a small man of clearly past seventy and said, "These are really amazing."

"Thank you, milady. How've you been, Lucas?" the man asked Luke.

"Just fine, John, and you?" Luke asked as he watched Lorelai carefully touching the tiny carved pieces.

"Can't complain. Well, I could, but I won't," John answered with a laugh. "Liz said you were staying the night?" he asked.

"Yeah, Lorelai wanted to get the full experience," Luke said with a smirk. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "John, this is my fiancée, Lorelai. Lorelai, this is John," he introduced them quickly.

"Hi, John," Lorelai said warmly as she held out her hand to shake the older man's hand.

John took her hand, raised it gallantly to his lips, and then kept hold of it as he asked, "What did you do to deserve such a fair maid, Lucas?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but you can let go of her hand now," Luke said with a smirk.

John shook his head and said, "Lorelai, you are far too lovely for a rube like Lucas. Come away with me, and I will make you my queen."

"Ooh, queen," Lorelai gasped. She glanced up at Luke and said, "I like the sound of that."

"I'm sure you do, but I'm afraid that you are betrothed to a humble coffee purveyor," Luke said solemnly.

Lorelai gave John a look filled with regret and said, "As much as I'd love to be queen, I do need the coffee."

"I am assuming that you'll be joining us for the festivities after close tonight?" John asked as he reluctantly released Lorelai's hand.

"Oh, yes," Lorelai answered. She flashed a grin at Luke and said proudly, "Lucas will be participating in a tournament of skill."

"Silly games for young men," John said with a wave of his hand. "That's all well and good, though. While he's busy strutting like a peacock, I'll have more time to press my suit with you, lovely lady," he said with a warm smile.

Luke smiled at the older man and placed a possessive hand on Lorelai's shoulder as he said, "I like you John, don't make me hurt you."

John laughed and said, "Did I ever tell you that I killed a man in Reno, just to watch him die?"

Lorelai giggled and asked, "And now you have the Folsom Prison Blues?"

"Exactly," John said with a smile. "See anything that you like?" he asked Lorelai.

"So much," she said as she returned to perusing the tiny figurines. "Oh, Luke, look," she said as she picked up an intricately carved dragon. "Is this the one you were going to slay for me?" she asked as placed the tiny statute in her palm and batted her eyes at him.

Luke rolled his eyes and said, "No. You've asked that every time we see a dragon, and I keep telling you that you'll know." He took the figurine from her and studied it carefully. "Beautiful work, John," he said as he inspected it.

"Thank you," John said with a nod. "I need to start working on larger pieces, though. The eyes are going, and the magnifier isn't enough any more," he said sadly.

"I can tell that you love doing this," Lorelai said with a nod.

John blinked in surprise and asked, "You can? How?"

Lorelai shrugged and said, "It just shows. You know, the details." She glanced up at Luke and said to John, "Luke carved me a chuppah once."

"Lorelai," Luke said with a sigh.

"It's still in my yard," she told John. "You see, Luke and I were just friends at the time, and I was supposed to marry someone else, and Luke made me this chuppah to get married under," she explained.

"Okay, that sounds pathetic enough," Luke said gruffly.

Lorelai shook her head at him and said to John, "It's beautiful. It even has a goat."

"Gilbert," Luke murmured as he placed the dragon back on the table.

"That sounds like it was a wonderful present," John said with a nod. "So, you never married the other guy?" he asked Lorelai.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "No." She looked up at Luke and said, "I guess there's only one guy that I'm supposed to be with when I stand under that chuppah."

"That's right," Luke said quietly.

Lorelai's eyes shone as she smiled at him, and then reluctantly turned back to John. "It's not just the coffee," she said in a loud whisper.

"So I see," John said with a smile. "Well, I guess I'll just have to settle for a nice chat near the bonfire. Perhaps you can tell me more about how young Lucas here managed to woo such a pretty lady," he teased.

"Patience," Luke answered.

Lorelai giggled and said, "Lots and lots of patience, John."

Luke nodded to the older man and said, "We'll see you later tonight."

"It was nice meeting you. I'm still a little tempted by the queen thing," Lorelai told him with a happy smile.

"Here," John said as he picked up the little dragon and handed it to Lorelai.

Lorelai looked down at it and said, "Oh, no, I couldn't."

"Here," Luke said as he reached for his wallet. "Do you want him?" he asked Lorelai.

"No, no," John said quickly. "He's a present. My little reminder for Lorelai that if you don't live up to expectations, she has alternatives," he said with a smile.

"Thanks," Luke said dryly as he shoved his wallet back into his pocket.

Lorelai nodded as she took the tiny dragon from John and said, "Thank you. For the dragon, and for the alternative," she said as she leaned over and pecked a little kiss to his cheek.

John chuckled and said, "Sweet girl, Lucas. Take good care of her"

"I plan to," Luke said as he placed his hand in the small of Lorelai's back and guided her back into the milling crowd.

"Nice guy," Lorelai said as she held her little dragon in the palm of her hand.

"Yeah, one of the few people around here that I could stand to talk for more than two minutes," Luke said with a smile. "Really interesting guy. John was an IRS auditor for forty years before he retired," Luke said with a chuckle.

"No!" Lorelai gasped.

"Yep. Said he swore when he retired that he'd never touch a calculator again," Luke answered with a nod. "His father and grandfather taught him how to carve. His grandfather was Native American," Luke told her.

"How cool that they passed this down," she said as she looked down at the tiny figurine again. "It was very sweet of him to give him to me," she said with a happy smile.

Luke looked down at her and said dryly, "Yeah, well, I think you gave John his only glimpse of the Promised Land since his wife passed away six years ago, so it's an even trade."

"Don't," she said quickly. "Don't make my dragon dirty," she admonished.

"Sorry, okay, I won't," he said as he took her hand again. "Where to next?" he asked.

"I want you to ring the bell thingy again. You know, as a warm up for tonight," she said with a nod.

"Okay," he answered as they strolled along.

"And then I think it's gelato time," she added.

Luke nodded and said, "Okay, so we have a plan."

"Are you having fun?" she asked as she glanced up at him worriedly.

Luke raised her hand to his lips and said, "Always."

"Seriously," she said as she came to a stop. "I know that this stuff annoys you," she said as she glanced around.

"I'm not annoyed. I like doing things with you. You make it fun," he said with a shrug.

Lorelai released his hand and wrapped hers around his arm as they began to walk again. "Change of plan," she announced suddenly.

"Oh?" Luke asked.

"You ring the bell, then we go make out behind the fruit ice stand, and then we have gelato," she said with a nod.

"Much better plan," Luke agreed as they headed for Marcus' booth. "You want me to put that in my pocket?" he asked, nodding to the dragon.

"Oh, yeah, good," she said as she handed it to him. "I don't have any pockets," she said with an impish grin.

Luke slid the little statue into the front pocket of his jeans and said, "That has been noted." He looked over at her and said, "The top is great, but I think the skirt is doing it for me just as much."

"You like that?" she asked a she glanced down at the gauzy skirt.

"The sunlight goes right through it," he said with a grin.

Lorelai frowned and said, "It has a slip thing under it."

"Not much of one," Luke said as they came to a stop and he waved at Marcus. He turned to Lorelai and asked, "What kind of prize will you give me if I ring it on the first try?"

Lorelai smiled wickedly and leaned closer to him as she whispered, "Well, I don't have much to offer, not only do I not have pockets, but I'm not wearing any underwear."

"What?" Luke asked as he jerked back and looked down at her.

Lorelai shrugged and said, "Apparently the slip thing is doing its job after all."

Luke scowled as he asked quietly, "Are you really not wearing anything under there?"

Lorelai gave him a sassy grin, stuck her tongue out at him and said, "That's for me to know and you to find out." She squeezed his arm and said, "Go show me how strong you are, Lover boy."

"You're lying," Luke said as he backed toward the booth.

"Possibly," she answered with a nod.

"You wouldn't," he said as he turned toward Marcus.

"If it makes you feel better to think that, you go ahead," Lorelai called after him. She watched as Luke spoke with Marcus for a minute and then hefted the hammer with a laugh. He looked over at Lorelai as positioned himself in front of the target. She smiled and called, "Ring my bell, Baby!"

Luke rolled his eyes as he began to swing the hammer back and forth, letting his arms adjust to the weight of it. He swung wider a few times and then swung it up in a smooth arc, bringing it crashing down on the target and sending the weight sailing to the top. Lorelai cheered and bounced on the balls of her feet, clapping excitedly when the bell rang. When Luke leaned the hammer up against the pedestal, she ran over to him and threw her arms around him in a whirl of flying dark curls and yellow ribbons. "My man is sooo strong," she cooed to him.

"Stop," he said gruffly, but unable to smother the satisfied smile on his face.

Lorelai released him and looked over at Marcus as she said, "Hi, I'm Lorelai."

"Oh, I remember," Marcus said with a grin.

"Yes, she's very memorable," Luke said dryly.

"All I have are the wreaths right now. Do you want a different color?" Marcus asked her.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "No, thanks. I just wanted to see him do that again."

"See you tonight, Marcus," Luke said with a nod as he led Lorelai away from the booth.

"Let's go make out now," Lorelai said with a radiant smile.

Luke glanced down at her and asked, "You want to go to our tent?"

Lorelai shook her head and took his hand, leading him between the booths and weaving around behind a couple of RVs parked back there. She stopped and gave him a little push up against the back of one of them as she said, "Kiss me now."

"Lorelai," Luke managed to get out before she pressed up against him and kissed him heatedly.

She pulled back and looked up at him as she whispered, "I want you right here, right now."

"Lorelai," he groaned as he pulled her back to him, his hand sliding down over the back of her skirt and pressing her against him. "We can't," he whispered as he bent to kiss her neck.

"I know, but I want to," she said breathlessly.

"Let's go to our tent," he said again.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "No, not yet." She buried her fingers in the back of his hair and held him there as he sucked on her neck and nipped at her earlobe. "I like this," she whispered.

"You hate waiting," he answered gruffly.

"I like that you want me like this," she said softly. "Would you, Luke? If I asked you to? Would you take me right here, right now?" she asked in a throaty voice.

"Oh God," he murmured against her skin.

"You want to," she taunted. "Oh, Luke, I want you to," she breathed.

"This is nuts," he said raggedly as he pulled back from her. He looked at her, his eyes smoldering with desire. "You're a witch, aren't you?" he joked lamely.

"Yes," she said solemnly. "And you are completely under my spell."

"I am," he admitted.

Lorelai smiled, aroused by the power she had over him. "Is that a dragon in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" she asked in a low voice.

"Both," he answered.

Lorelai leaned into kiss him again, letting her hand slid down his chest and between them as she stroked the hard ridge under the fly of his jeans. "Oh my," she breathed against his lips.

Luke pulled back, bumping his head against the RV as he said in a raspy voice, "That's not a dragon."

"Could be," she argued as she reached for the tab of his zipper.

"What the hell are you doing," he asked incredulously, but didn't move to stop her.

"Freeing the dragon," she said simply as she pulled the zipper down slowly. She watched his eyes as she asked, "Aren't you gonna stop me?"

"How can I?" he asked softly.

"Tell me no, Luke," she whispered as she brushed her lips over his. "Tell me to stop. Tell me that you don't want this," she said in a low mesmerizing tone.

"I can't," he told her as she reached into his boxers and wrapped her fingers around the shaft of his cock.

"Can't what?" she asked a she stroked him lightly.

"I want," he said as the breath rushed from his lungs. Lorelai smiled as she gently pulled him free from the opening of his jeans. "Oh, God, this is nuts," he whispered as he looked up at the sky.

"Tell me no, Luke," she said as she lifted the hem of her skirt, careful not to catch it under her knees as she knelt in front of him. Luke looked down at the circle of flowers nestled into her hair and drew in a deep breath as he tried to make himself speak. Lorelai looked up at him challengingly as she licked her lips and asked, "Do you want me to stop?"

"God no," he murmured. Lorelai leaned forward and licked the head of his cock softly. Luke groaned and whispered urgently, "Anyone could come by."

"That's why you want it," she answered as she wrapped her lips around him and drew him into her warm wet mouth.

"Oh, geez," he moaned as his hips jerked at the contact. He closed his eyes and pressed his head to the side of the RV.

Lorelai glanced up and released him. "Look at me. Watch me, Luke," she said softly. She waited until he opened his eyes and looked down at her before parting her lips again and taking him deep in her mouth.

Luke watched as she sucked him, stroking the shaft of his cock as she let her tongue dance over the tip of him. She was mesmerizing. Her soft pink lips wrapped around him, drawing him deeper as the yellow flowers bobbed in her hair. Her dark wavy curls tumbled over her bare shoulders, and the low white blouse offered an irresistible view of her soft curves below. "You are amazing," he whispered. "Oh, Lorelai, you feel so amazing," he groaned as he touched her hair, softly running his fingertips over the curls.

Lorelai moaned around him as she sucked harder, moving him in and out of her mouth faster and faster. "Mm hmm," she hummed with pleasure.

"Oh," Luke said softly as he felt the pressure building inside of him. "Oh, Lorelai," he whispered. Lorelai felt him tense, his fingers digging into her shoulder as she felt the telltale tremor on her tongue. She stroked him steadily, her fingers squeezing his denim clad ass as she urged him to completion. He came, biting his lip to keep from crying out with the release, and letting his shoulders sag as he slumped over toward Lorelai.

Lorelai slowed, licking him gently as she let his cock glide slowly in and out of her mouth. "Lorelai," Luke said softly. When she looked up at him he whispered, "Come here.

Lorelai released him, pressing a tender kiss to the tip of him, before carefully tucking him back into his pants. "You, uh, may need to rearrange things," she said as she began to stand up.

Luke caught her under her arms and pulled her up, wrapping his arms around her tightly, banding her to him as if his arms were made of steel. "Oh, my God," he whispered into her hair.

"Okay?" she asked softly.

Luke chuckled and said, "Uh, yeah." He ran his hand over the back of her hair, trailing the ribbons through his fingers as he said, "I can't believe we just did that."

"Yeah, um, are you mad?" she asked, her voice muffled against his chest.

Luke laughed, the sound, bubbling up from deep within him as he loosened his hold slightly and asked, "Mad? You just played out about seventeen different fantasies every guy has from puberty on, and you wanna know if I'm mad?"

"Is that a no?" she asked with a smile.

"A definite no," he said as he reached up to stroke her cheek gently.

They heard a rustle and then a man's voice saying, "Oh, sorry," as he turned and hurried away.

Lorelai looked up at Luke wide eyed and then they both started to laugh. "Thank God you're standing there," Luke said as he chuckled.

"Thank God he didn't come by three minutes ago," she corrected.

"That too," Luke said as he kissed her smiling lips. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm damn glad I've got you," he said gruffly.

"Well, I can be handy to have around," she said with a nod. "The next time you find a dragon in your pants, let me know, and I'll take care of it," she said with a grin. She stepped back, still shielding him from view, and gestured to his pants. "You'd better make sure he's caged."

Luke shoved his hand down the front of his jeans and quickly rearranged himself as he asked, "Am I stuck with the dragon thing now?"

"Oh, yeah," she said with a happily grin.

Luke smirked as he pulled his fly back up and said, "At least it's not fire breathing."

"Says you," she retorted.

Luke rolled his eyes and asked, "How much mileage do you plan to get out of this?"

"Tons," she answered quickly. "You know, it could be worse. Instead of a dragon, you could have a decidedly unsexy creature in there."

"Unsexy creature?" he asked.

Lorelai shrugged and said, "Chipmunk, for example. Or a penguin," she added. "Nothing sexy about them," she told him with a solemn nod. "An inch worm, now that would be just plain insulting," she added with a laugh.

"You're right. Dragon is fine," he said as he looked down to be sure he was completely reassembled.

"Figured you'd see it that way," Lorelai said with a grin.

Luke let out a rush of breath as he rested his hands on his hips and shook his head to clear it. "Okay," he said with a nod as he sagged back against the RV again.

"Oh no!" Lorelai gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "I've ruined everything!"

"Huh? What?" Luke asked quickly.

"I should have waited until after the games tonight. I've sapped all of your strength. You should have reminded me that you were in training," she chastised.

Luke snorted and said, "I'll be fine," as he pushed himself off of the RV and ran his hand over her arm.

"You need sugar," she said with a nod. "Come on, let's get some gelato," she said as she reached for his hand.

Luke rolled his eyes as he took her hand and said, "I don't want gelato."

"You need energy," she said in a no-nonsense tone.

"I need a nap," he grumbled as she pulled him back toward the booths.

"Some fruit ice, then. That'll set you up right," she said with a decisive nod.

Luke shook his head and said, "I don't want that crap either."

"Luke, it has the word fruit in it," she said impatiently.

"Yeah, and that's the only place there's any fruit," he retorted.

Lorelai stopped and looked at him as she said, "You know, for a guy who just saw a little action, you're kind of cranky."

"That's because I like my action with a chaser of naked Lorelai beside me," he murmured into her ear.

"Later," she promised as she started to head for the gelato cart. "That is, if I decide to come to your tent tonight," she teased as she glanced back at him.

"Got a dragon in my pocket," he growled.

Lorelai turned toward him and whispered, "Then play to win. I wasn't kidding about the panties."

tbc


	4. Huzz Ahhhh

**A/N: Here it is, sorry it took so long. Busy week and many technical difficulties. I pick up my new computer tomorrow, so it may take me a little time to get set up again. I hope that you enjoy this. I plan to do one more chapter to wrap the weekend up with a nice neat bow.**

**Huzz-ahhhh**

After the fair closed that evening, Luke walked Lorelai over to the camp site and pointed out their tent, which sat a good distance from all of the others. Lorelai frowned and asked, "Are we lepers? Is there some unwritten rule about mingling with the non-faire folk?" she asked.

"Uh, no. I put it over there," he said as he glanced around, hoping to spot Liz in the milling crowd of faire workers.

"Why? Are you ashamed of me? Or do you have another tent set up closer so that your groupies can sneak in?" she asked quickly.

"No," he said with a laugh. He turned to her and bent close as he spoke low in her ear. "I put it over there because tents have no walls. The people next to you can hear every little thing that you say and do," he warned darkly.

"Uh huh, so?" she asked with a slight shake of her head.

Luke smiled at her and said, "I plan to do things that I don't want anyone to hear."

"Oh?" she asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively. "What do you think they'll hear?" she asked with a grin.

"Oh, I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that there will be a lot of 'please' and 'God' thrown in there," he said with a shrug.

Lorelai nodded solemnly and said, "Yes, well praying is a very private matter."

Luke laughed and said in a deep, soft voice, "I'm sorry, I meant, 'please, Luke,' and 'God, Luke.'"

Lorelai blinked and said seriously, "Hon, you're great, but I'm not sure that you've qualified for god status."

Luke rolled his eyes and said, "I plan to tonight."

"Oh, well, that's something to look forward to, isn't it?" she asked with a cheeky grin. She kissed him softly and whispered, "It's good that you have a goal." She gave him a pat on the chest and then asked, "What's for dinner?"

Luke gave her an incredulous look and said, "You can't be hungry, you've been eating all afternoon."

"I have been, but you haven't. I thought I'd nibble something while you ate," she said with a casual shrug of her shoulders.

Luke smirked and said, "There's all sorts of stuff in the cooler in there."

"Good, let's go," she said as he reached for his hand.

"Hang on, I'm trying to find Liz," he reminded her. "You can go on if you want to," he said as he nodded toward the tent.

Lorelai glanced from him to the tent and then asked, "Is the bed aired up?"

"Yeah," Luke replied.

"I think I'll lie down for a few minutes," she said with a nod. "Busy afternoon," she said with a wink.

Luke tried to hold back the smile as he nodded and said, "Yeah, good idea."

"Besides, I'll need my rest for the tent revival tonight," she said as she turned and began to walk toward the tent with a swish of her skirt, smiling back at him over her shoulder.

"Hallelujah," Luke said with a smile.

"Huzzah, milord," she called back with a flirty smile.

Luke turned and walked through the line of tents looking for Liz and T.J.'s set up. He finally spotted his sister sitting in a camp chair reading a stack of pages. "Hey, Sis," he called as he approached, but Liz didn't look up. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and tried to hold her in the chair as she jumped out of her skin, yanking the ear buds from her ears. "Sorry, he said gruffly. "Didn't know you had those things in," he told her with a sheepish smile.

"No, man, wow, my heart," she said as she pressed her hand to her chest. "Sorry, I always try to get some Deepak in before dinner and stuff," she said with a wave of her hand.

Luke looked down at the typed pages on her lap and asked, "What's that you're reading?"

"Oh, uh, Jess sent it to me," she stammered as she gathered the pages up and held them close to her chest.

Luke frowned and asked, "Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Liz said with a wave of her hand. "You know that. He does still call you, doesn't he?" she asked anxiously.

"Yeah, I hear from him," Luke told her. "That's a big stack of papers. Is he in some kind of trouble?" Luke asked cautiously.

"Oh, no, no," Liz said as she shook her head adamantly. "He's doing really good. He's starting that press thing with his friends, you know," she said with a nod.

"Yeah, he's mentioned that," Luke answered. "What? Is he slipping you reading material for free?" he asked with a smirk.

Liz chewed her bottom lip as she debated telling him, but then blurted, "He's writing a book."

Luke's head jerked back as he asked, "Jess is?"

"Yeah. He says it's not going to be a big book, just a little one, and they're gonna publish it themselves," Liz said in a rush. She shook her head as she reached out and caught Luke's arm in a vise-like grip. "You can't say anything to him, I don't know if it was a secret," she said in a pleading tone.

"I won't say anything," Luke said slowly as he absorbed the information. "Wow, good for Jess," he murmured.

"Yeah, really good, huh?" Liz asked excitedly. "I mean, I know it probably isn't gonna makes Oprah's Book Club list, but it's a start, and he's doing what he loves doing," she said encouragingly, as if she were afraid that Luke would disparage Jess' efforts.

"It's really good," Luke agreed. He pointed to the pages and asked, "Is it good?"

Liz wrinkled her nose and said, "This is the fourth time I've sat down and tried to read it." She glanced over her shoulder nervously and then whispered, "I don't really get it. It's kind of out there, you know?"

Luke chuckled and said, "Well, I guess that if you don't get it, I won't."

Liz frowned as she looked up at her brother and asked, "Why do you always do that? Put yourself down?"

Luke cocked his head as he looked at her in surprise. "I wasn't. I was just saying that if you say it's out there and you don't get it, well, you're a lot further out there than I am," he said with a shrug.

"Maybe," she said with a nod. Liz's smile blossomed as she said, "I'm so happy for you and Lorelai. You're having fun, right? The weekend doing the trick?" she asked anxiously.

Luke nodded and said, "Weekend has been great." He glanced around and asked, "Where's T.J.?"

"He's down gathering some of the fellas to get the games figured out for tonight," Liz said with a shrug.

Luke nodded and offered her a shy smile as he asked, "Do you, uh, did you make the thing?"

Liz nodded and she reached into the satchel beside her chair and pulled out a small pouch. "It's perfect. Man, I knew the minute I saw those beads that they were the exact color of Lorelai's eyes," she crowed as she handed over the pouch.

Luke chuckled and said, "Yeah, well not sure how that plays into it, but thanks."

Liz shook her head and said with a grin, "If you don't know that, Bro, I can ask T.J. to give you a few pointers."

"No," Luke practically shouted. He shook his head to clear it and said, "On that note, I think I'll go find Lorelai. We'll see you guys in a little while," he said as he gave Liz a quick hug. "Thanks, Sis," he said gruffly.

"Anytime," she said with an affection smile. "Go find your girl. I can't believe you left her all alone," she added with a giggle.

"Gotta go," Luke said as he turned on his heel and headed in the direction of their tent as quickly as he could, shoving the little pouch into the pocket of his jeans.

He pulled back the tent flap and saw her lying face down in a pillow, her skirt slightly twisted around her calves. He pulled the zipper closed behind him and Lorelai murmured, "This bed thing is so comfortable."

"Glad you like it," Luke said as he bent to unlace his boots and then toed them off. He sat on the edge of the air bed and looked down at her affectionately as he reached out to brush dark curls from her cheek.

"You gonna lie down?" she mumbled.

"Yeah," he said softly as he let his hand trail down over her bare shoulder and skim over the thin cotton of her blouse. He saw her lips twitch into a smile, and decided to go on, trailing his fingers down over the gauzy skirt, massaging her thigh gently through the filmy material. When he reached the hem of the skirt, he slid his hand up under it, gently caressing her calf in slow circles as he inched higher.

"What are you doing there?" she asked in an amused whisper.

"Just making sure you're comfortable," he answered gruffly.

"So chivalrous," she sighed.

Luke gently tickled the crease of her knee, and then let his hand smooth over the back of her thigh. "Not so chivalrous," he said in a low, sexy voice.

"You have a competition coming up tonight," she reminded him. "You need to save your energy."

"I have plenty of energy. If I need more, I'll have a Power Bar," he said in a growl as he pressed her skirt up higher. He slipped his hand up over the soft curve of her bottom, and felt for the telltale string of a thong. When he felt nothing but silky smooth skin, he whispered, "Jesus, Lorelai."

"I told you that I wasn't kidding," she answered quietly.

Luke swallowed hard as he looked down at her. Her legs were long, smooth and lightly tanned. He pushed the skirt higher and reached out with both hands to gently knead her thighs, his arousal obvious to her in the barely restrained power in his hands. He ran his fingers along the tan line left by her bikini bottoms and bent to press his open mouth to the crease of her knee. Lorelai moaned softly as he continued to massage her, his hands growing more demanding with each caress. Luke shifted so that he knelt between her legs, kissing his way up the back of her thigh. "Luke," she whispered.

"Luke what?" he murmured against her skin, nipping at the curve of her bottom with his teeth.

"Oh God, please Luke," she said in a breathy voice.

Luke chuckled as he pressed her legs further apart and whispered, "That's what I wanted to hear." He slipped his hands under her hips and lifted her up off of the mattress, letting his warm breath caress her sensitive folds. Lorelai whimpered softly, as she squirmed in his hands, offering herself up to him. Luke exhaled raggedly and said, "I can't believe you've been like this all day."

Lorelai smiled against the pillow and said, "And I will be all night. So ready for you," she added softly.

Luke licked his lips in anticipation and bent to press his tongue to her center. "Luuuke?" T.J. called from just outside of the tent.

"Shit," Luke muttered and quickly flipped Lorelai's skirt down over her bare bottom. "Go away, T.J.!" he shouted.

"But Luke, the guys are ready," T.J. whined.

Lorelai giggled and whispered, "I am too."

"Shh," Luke hissed. "T.J., I'll come out in a little while," he called back. "No beat it," he added.

"But Luke, It'll get dark soon," T.J. argued.

"Can Lukey come out to play?" Lorelai mimicked as she giggled into the pillow.

Luke sat back with a heavy sigh and said, "I'll be there in a few minutes, T.J."

"How few? Five? Ten minutes?" T.J. persisted.

"Yes, whatever," Luke growled.

"Okay, but we'll be waiting," T.J. called back in a warning tone as he walked away.

"Hold your breath," Luke muttered under his as he scooted to the edge of the bed.

Lorelai smirked as she rolled over and said, "I guess I'll be waiting too."

Luke pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead and said, "If I don't get out there, he'll come back every five minutes."

"Yes, he will," Lorelai agreed.

Luke looked over at her, her breasts high and tantalizingly on display in her low cut top, her hair tumbled over the pillow, her eyes both dark with arousal and bright with amusement. He blinked slowly to clear his head and said, "You look incredible. Last summer, every night, I'd have this picture in my head of coming back to my tent and finding you waiting for me. Just like that," he added softly.

"I had the slutty wench top on?" she asked.

Luke's lips curved into a smile and said, "No, most of the time you did have anything on." He flopped over onto his side next to her and reached out to stroke the curve of her hip as he said," Thank you for this weekend. In case I forget to say it later," he added with a sheepish smile.

"It's not over yet," she pointed out solemnly.

"I think we needed this. I know I did," he said in a serious tone.

"Me too," she answered with a nod.

Luke smiled and said, "Thank you for the pretty stuff last night, and the unbelievably sexy stuff today. I promise to make it worth your while," he added as his smile widened.

Lorelai nodded solemnly and said, "I really hope that you win."

Luke smirked as he tipped her chin up with his finger. "Kiss me, pretty girl. Win or lose, you're coming home with me tonight," he said firmly.

"Yes, milord," she whispered as she pressed her lips to his.

XXXX

"Whoo hoo!" Lorelai shouted as she clapped her hands madly.

"Huzzah!" Liz cried beside her.

"Oh, yeah, huzzah!" Lorelai called out to Luke.

She watched as that cocky smile spread over his face, and he shook his head slightly as he swaggered back to the small group of contestants waiting to swing the hammer. "Sorry, Liz, but your brother is so hot," Lorelai said with a laugh as she dropped back down into her chair.

Liz chuckled and said, "Yeah, I've been hearing that most of my life. I'm used to it now."

Lorelai turned to her and asked, "Did he really make out with Carrie Duncan?"

Liz giggled and said, "No, not really. Carrie kind of attacked him, and for once in his life, old Butch didn't move fast enough." She shook her head at the memory and said, "But it's more fun to say that he did. It drives him nuts."

"Yes, well, I am an expert at doing or saying things just to see if I can get that little vein to pop out," Lorelai said with a laugh as she turned to watch the next man attempt to beat Luke's distance.

Liz chuckled and said, "Don't let him hear you call it a little vein. Guys are so sensitive about that," she added with a shake of her head.

Lorelai whipped her head around and said, "Oh, no, Liz, I meant…"

Liz chuckled again and said, "I know what you meant. I was just playin' with ya." She narrowed her eyes at the assembled group and said, "You know, taking the fact that Luke's my brother and T.J. is my soul mate out of it, objectively, I'd have to say you're right," She smiled fondly as T.J. gesticulated madly as he spoke. "Of course, I can't really take that away. I'm still crazy about my T.J.," she said with a smile.

"That's so nice," Lorelai said softly.

"Yeah. You know it is different after you marry them. You learn all of that stuff that they didn't want you to know when you were dating. T.J. cannot put his socks in the laundry," she said with a shake of her head. "He's also terrible with the checkbook, which is really bad because so am I," she chuckled. "But so sweet, and so good to me. And for me," she added affectionately. She looked over at Lorelai and said, "Luke adores you. He'd do anything you wanted or needed. And, at least with Luke, you won't have to worry about him going to pot," she said with a nod. "He's always been pretty vain about his hot bod," she said with a snort.

"Yes, he is a little," Lorelai conceded. She leaned over and whispered, "I like that about him."

"Poor T.J., he tends toward the pudge, so he tries to watch it, you know?" Liz said with a sad shake of her head.

"That's just the way he's built," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"Yeah, but you have to keep him under control. The guy can eat and eat and eat. It's kind of sickening, you know?" Liz asked, sounding eerily like her brother. "I keep telling him that if he keeps pounding the pasta like that, soon he'll look like Dom DeLuise," she giggled.

Lorelai grinned and added, "Or Luciano Pavarotti."

Liz gasped a laugh and asked, "You think they look alike too?"

"Oh yeah," Lorelai said with a guffaw.

"May I join you lovely ladies?" Lorelai heard a man ask from behind their chairs. She turned to find John from the wood carving booth standing nearby with his camp chair in hand. "Or am I interrupting?" he asked politely.

"Certainly, kind sir," Lorelai answered with a smile. She waved to the spot next to her and said, "We were just discussing Dom DeLuise versus Luciano Pavarotti."

"In an eating contest?" he asked as he unfolded his chair.

"No, which one T.J. was going to turn into one day," Lorelai said with a grin.

John frowned as he sat down and said, "DeLuise, I think. Although, I have always kind of gotten the two of them mixed up in my mind's eye."

"Exactly," Lorelai said with an emphatic nod. "They can't seem to figure out what they're supposed to be doing," she said as she gestured to the field where the games were supposedly being played.

"Oh, it's always like this. It's a guy thing," Liz said with a dismissive wave. "They come out here, stand around, drink beer, throw a couple of things and then call it a tournament," she said with a nod.

"You mean this is it?" Lorelai asked in a disappointed tone.

"Oh, they'll figure something out," John assured her. "So, are you suitably impressed with young Lucas' skills?" he asked as he focused on the knot of men discussing what challenge to do next.

"I've been impressed with Luke's skills for years," Lorelai answered with a grin.

Liz chuckled and said, "Not doubt."

Lorelai cocked her head and said primly, "The man makes the best coffee on the Eastern seaboard."

"Yeah, coffee," Liz said with a snort.

Lorelai smiled blandly and asked, "What did you think I was talking about?"

"His athletic prowess, of course," John chimed in.

Lorelai smiled and said, "I know nothing about sports, but I like to watch him." She saw Luke break from the group of men, shaking his head and turning to check on her. She smiled brightly when she caught his eye and gave him an encouraging smile. She then reached down, picked up the cup of beer he had left by her chair, and held it up, raising her eyebrows questioningly. She saw him nod slightly and take a step away from the group toward her. Lorelai was up and out of her chair like a shot. She scampered over to him, smiling flirtatiously as she approached him calling, "Wet your whistle, milord?"

Luke took the proffered cup and smiled broadly. "Having fun?" he asked as he lifted the cup to his lips.

"Loads," she said with a grin. "I like you all swaggery and macho."

Luke snorted and said, "I am not macho."

"Manly, then," she amended.

Luke stepped a little closer to her, holding the rim of the cup in his fingers as he let his hand fall to his side. "How am I doing so far?" he asked in a low pitched voice.

Lorelai smile widened slightly as she said, "Very well."

Using his body to shield her from the view of the other men, Luke reached out and touched his fingertips to the hollow of her collarbone. "Still comin' home with me?" he asked softly.

"Yuh huh," Lorelai said with an exaggerated nod. "How much more of this?" she asked as she gestured to the group.

"Not much, we're losing light and these guys would rather argue about what to do next than to actually do it," Luke said with a shrug.

Lorelai smiled into his eyes as she let herself sway into him slightly. "How about you? You wanna argue or do it?" she asked softly.

Luke let his hand trail away from her soft skin, and caught and tugged the laces tied at her breasts. "Tough call," he said gruffly. "Can we argue and then do it?" he whispered near her ear.

"Pretty little beer wench you have there, Lucas," called Nathan, one of the younger men that stepped from the group.

Luke turned to look over his shoulder and practically snarled, "She's my fiancée."

"Yeah, that's Lorelai," T.J. supplied helpfully.

"Hello, Lorelai," Nathan said in an appreciative tone. "Shall I challenge Lucas for a chance with the fair Lorelai?" he asked grandly.

Lorelai smiled and she squeezed Luke's arm gently and said, "You can challenge him, but you'll still have no chance."

While the other men hooted and guffawed, Nathan stepped closer, grinning widely and holding out his hands in supplication. "Lady Lorelai, do not be so cruel," he said as she pressed a hand to his heart. "If I had seen you before Lucas, I swear I would have made it my life's work to woo you," he said dramatically.

"Wed you and bed you," one of the other men added with a snort.

"Hey!" Luke snapped in their direction.

"Luke, easy," T.J. said in a placating tone.

"Watch what you say," Luke said angrily.

"Lucas, they were just joking," Henry said quickly.

"I should, uh," Lorelai stammered as she backed up a step. "I'll go sit down," she said quickly as she turned and hurried back to her chair.

"Are we going to do this or not?" Luke snarled.

Nathan turned to one of his friends and murmured, "If I had her, I'd certainly have something better to do."

"Okay, hotshot, let's see what you've got," Luke said pointing a finger at the younger man.

"Hey, come on guys," T.J. said quickly.

"I think we should just get the fire going," Henry said with a nod.

"Name it. What do you want to do?" Luke demanded.

"Hey, uh, Lorelai?" T.J. called in a panic as he waved for her to come back over.

Lorelai walked over to where Luke stood glaring at Nathan and asked, "What's going on?"

"Your fiancée here has issued a challenge," Nathan said with a cocky smile.

"You set the terms," Luke told her.

"Me?" Lorelai asked in a confused voice. Lorelai cast an uneasy glanced between the two men. "Luke, let's so go over to where they're starting the fire," she said as she tugged on his arm.

"What, you think I can't beat him?" Luke asked incredulously.

"I didn't say that. I'm just saying that we're supposed to be having fun, not getting all worked up over something some idiot says to set you off," she said impatiently.

"He insulted you," Luke said angrily.

"No, I'm pretty sure he was complimenting you," Lorelai retorted.

"You didn't hear the rest of it," Luke said in a low voice.

Lorelai shrugged and said easily, "Doesn't matter, let him dream."

"Lorelai," Luke argued.

"Luke, this is not the dragon I want you to slay," she said into his ear. She pulled him away from the others and whispered, "Your testosterone is running amok. Now, let's go roast some weenies, I'm starving," she said cajolingly.

"I can't back down now," he hissed.

"Well, fine then. When you two are done swinging those things around, come find me. I'll be over by the fire," she said as she spun on her heel and stalked back to her chair. He watched her gather up her things, mutter a few words to Liz and John, who cautiously stood up, and picked up their chairs to follow her over to the fire pit.

"Lucas, really, I didn't mean anything by it," Nathan said as he held up his hands. "I was just showing off for a pretty girl," he added with a shrug.

"Let's go get another beer," T.J. said to Luke as he gave him an ineffectual little shove in the back.

"She's not just some pretty girl," Luke growled at Nathan.

"I apologize, I was just razzing you," he said calmly.

"Apologize to her," Luke said darkly.

"Am I allowed close enough her to apologize?" Nathan asked with a laugh.

Luke narrowed his eyes at the younger man and said, "I'll tell her that you apologized," as he stomped off toward the fire that was just beginning the catch hold.

When he approached Lorelai's chair, she didn't even look up at him as she asked, "Sword fight over already?"

Luke squatted down next to her chair, folding his forearms over the arm of it, and looking up at her tight profile. "No sword fight," he said softly. "See, this is why it's hard to have such a beautiful girl," he added in the same gentle tone. "Other guys are always gonna look at you and want you. I'm not very good with that," he said with a shrug. "When they say stupid things, I'm always gonna want to kill them," he said with a rueful laugh. "Nathan sends his apologies, by the way," he told her.

Lorelai blinked as she watched the fire catch and the flames begin to lick at the dry wood, but said nothing. Luke sighed and asked, "Can I get you anything? Do you have your little cooler?" he asked as he looked down and spotted it resting near her feet. "Do you want me to go find you a stick to use?" he asked. When she pursed her lips, but still said nothing, he nodded and said, "I'll go do that," as he pushed to his feet again.

Lorelai turned her head slightly as he began to walk away and called to him, "Two. I'll need one for marshmallows."

"Got it," he called as he lifted his hand in acknowledgment.

Lorelai settled back in her chair and muttered, "Stupid boys."

XXXX

By the time night fell, the beer and ale were flowing freely, and Lorelai had already dropped on hot dog and two marshmallows into the fire. Luke stood nearby, waiting for the ice to thaw a bit before attempting to engage her in conversation again. Instead, he sulked and downed another beer as he watched Lorelai chat animatedly with Liz. Finally, when Liz moved off to chat with one of her friends, Lorelai turned to him and asked, "Okay we've argued. Can we do it now?"

Luke tried to smother his smile as he asked gruffly, "Are you done here?"

Lorelai looked around and said, "Not yet, but I'm done punishing you for the caveman act."

"Okay, well, thank you," he said with a nod.

Lorelai pressed her palm to his chest and said, "Thank you for trying to unnecessarily defend my honor. I'm not sure that it's possible, though, given the fact that I'm not wearing any underwear," she whispered in his ear.

"Stop teasing me," he growled.

Lorelai grinned and gestured to their abandoned camp chairs as she asked, "Want me to sit on your lap?"

"Yes, but not here," he said as his hand found her waist and he began to rub slow circles over her back, his fingertips occasionally drifting up under the hem of her top. "I have something for you," he said in a low voice.

"I'll bet you do," she answered with a devilish grin.

Luke chuckled as he pulled his hand away and dug into the pocket of his jeans. He pulled out the little velvet pouch Liz had given him and held it up in front of her eyes. Lorelai's eyes lit up as she smiled up at him shyly. When she didn't reach for the pouch he asked, "Don't you want it?"

"Yes," she said quickly as she snatched the pouch from his fingers and pulled the drawstring closure open. She upended the contents into her palm and smiled when she saw the delicate silver anklet with the blue cloisonné beads. When she held it up in the firelight, she caught sight of the tiny silver charm at the clasp and pressed her hand to her heart as she said in a hushed voice, "You captured a dragon for me."

"Of your very own," Luke answered with a nod.

Lorelai pressed her lips to his tenderly and then smiled as she pulled back. "My knight in shining armor," she said as she caressed his cheek, the anklet dangling between her fingers. She glanced at the blazing fire and then back at Luke, remembering the night he had dangled a pair of delicate earrings before her shyly. "You always have been," she told him sincerely.

"I always want to be," he told her.

Lorelai nodded quickly as she swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in her throat. She looked up at him with a shaky smile and asked, "Help me put it on?"

Luke gestured to the chair and said, "Milady."

Lorelai gave him a flirty smile as she handed the anklet to him and sat down in the chair with a cheeky, "Thank you, Sir Lucas."

Luke knelt down in front of her as his nimble fingers opened the clasp. He slipped it around her ankle and made sure it was properly hooked before he ran his fingers lightly over her shin and said, "Goes with your outfit," as he straightened up again.

Lorelai held out her leg, lifting the hem of her skirt so that she could admire it in the firelight. "Such pretty beads," she said softly.

Luke nodded and said, "Liz kept going on and on about them being the color of your eyes."

"Yeah, she mentioned that to me," Lorelai said with a nod.

Luke grinned as he sat in the chair next to hers and asked in a low voice, "When I asked why it mattered if an anklet matched your eyes, she offered to have T.J. give me a few pointers."

Lorelai clasped her hand to her mouth as she giggled, "Oh God, no!"

"Apparently my sister is concerned that I'm not doing it right," he added with a smirk.

Lorelai laced her fingers through his and said, "That reminds me of an old joke. Two forty something women were talking about dating, and one asks the other if she thinks she'll ever fall head over heels in love again. The other thinks about it for a moment and then says that at their age, the best they could hope for was heels over head."

"Nice," Luke said with a smirk.

"Aw, come on, that's funny," Lorelai insisted as she nudged him with her elbow.

"Okay, let's stop talking about that here," Luke said with a chuckle.

Lorelai looked over at him and whispered, "Kiss me, Burger Boy, I'm head over heels for you."

Luke kissed her softly and then pressed the back of her hand to his lips as he looked up at her with smoldering eyes. "I could make that 'heels over head' if you'd like," he offered in a soft dangerous voice.

Lorelai let here eyes fall to his lips and then slowly raised them back to meet his gaze. "I'm yours for the taking, good sir knight."

Luke smiled and asked, "You'll come to my tent?"

"You'll be gentle with me?" she countered.

Luke shook his head slowly and said, "Probably not."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Lorelai asked as she stood quickly and tried to pull him up from the chair by their joined hands.

"Hang on," Luke said as he stood up and began to fold the chairs. He nodded to the carrying cases and asked, "Will you hold those open for me?"

Lorelai snatched one up and held it open as he crammed the chair back into it. "Hmm, kind of taking some of the romance out of it," she said dryly.

Luke chuckled as he said, "I think we'll get it back."

Lorelai held the other satchel up for him and Luke made quick work of the second chair. He threw the shoulder straps over his shoulder and picked up the small cooler. "Can you grab the flashlight?" he asked.

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Lorelai sassed as she picked up the flashlight and switched it on.

Luke rolled his eyes and said, "A quick and quiet exit. Trust me, we'll see them all in the morning."

Lorelai switched on the flashlight and they made their escape from the circle of firelight. Luke glanced over and saw that Liz had noted their departure and lifted one hand in silent acknowledgement as Lorelai lit their path back to their tent. As they walked along, she lifted the flashlight to light her face from under her chin and giggled as she asked, "Remember when we broke the bells?"

"On the ground please," Luke reminded her as he smiled. "Yes, I remember that."

"You kept asking my why I cared," she murmured.

"And you never told me," he answered.

Lorelai smiled as she remembered the exchange that had been so typical of them. "If Reverend Skinner hadn't come in, I may have professed my feelings for my friend who was a married man. If you thought the dirty finger puppet show would have gotten me struck by lightning, how do you think that would have played?" she asked in a teasing tone.

"Probably not so good with God, but I would have been happy," he answered gruffly.

"And what would you have done, Luke?" she asked softly. "There was no point to telling you, except it was right there, nagging at me," she told him. "What would you have done? Kissed me? Run to tell Nicole that you wanted the divorce after all? Worse, tell me that I was too late? I couldn't have done that to either of us," she said softly.

"No," he agreed softly.

"What's that?" Lorelai asked as she pointed the flashlight toward the green glow near their tent.

Luke smirked and said, "Old camping trick. That's one of those glow stick things. You crack it and hang it in front of your tent. Makes it easier to find in the dark," he explained.

"You are the smartest man in the world," she said in an admiring tone.

"Either that, or a guy who, more than a few times, stumbled around in the woods trying to spot a dark green tent in the dark," Luke answered dryly.

He dropped the chairs outside of the tent and unzipped the flap. He reached into the tent and flipped on the battery powered camping lantern, and the tent was suddenly aglow with light. Lorelai glanced back at the fairgrounds and said, "I'm going to need to freshen up a bit."

Luke nodded as he held the flap aside for her to step through and said, "Yeah, I figured we'd grab our toothbrushes and stuff and head over to the bathrooms."

"See, you are the smartest man in the world," she said happily. Luke dropped the small cooler next to the larger one and shook his head as he rooted through his bag for his travel bag. "Ready?" he asked as he looked up and saw her holding her cosmetic bag.

"Yep, lead away," she said with a nod as she reached for a pair of pajamas from her bag.

"Oh no," he said quickly.

"What?" she asked.

"You're not changing," he said with a vehement shake of his head.

"I'm not?" Lorelai asked with a raised eyebrow.

Luke laughed and said, "No way. You've been wearing that thing to torment me all day. I'm taking it off," he told her firmly.

"With your tongue?" she asked with a saucy grin.

Luke gave her a pointed look as he said simply, "Yes."

"Well then, let's get going," she said quickly as she ducked out of the tent.

Luke chuckled and said, "You forgot the flashlight," as he picked it up and followed her back out into the night.

Lorelai was staring up at the sky as she said, "Man, look at all of the stars."

"Pretty, huh?" Luke asked as he looked up into the clear night with its blanket of sparkling white specks.

"Very," Lorelai said as she hooked her arm through his. Luke switched on the flashlight and led the way back to the fairgrounds bathrooms. Outside the door, Lorelai paused and looked at the ladies room door with a worried expression. "Hang on," she said as she pushed the door open and found it dark.

"Here," Luke said as he shone the light into the room and found the switch. "There," he said with a nod as the lights came on. When Lorelai glanced into the room uncertainly, he smiled and asked, "Do you want me to stand here?"

Lorelai chewed the inside of her cheek and then said, "You could come in here, no one's around."

"That's the ladies' room," Luke answered blankly.

"Same stuff as the men's room, well, except for urinals, we don't have those," she said with a shrug.

Luke shook his head and said, "I'll stand here with the door propped open."

"Well, that's just silly, you should come in," she argued.

"It's no sillier than you being afraid to go into an empty room," Luke countered. When he saw the stubborn tilt of her chin, he sighed and said, "Okay fine, but just to brush my teeth."

They brushed their teeth side by side at the sinks, all the while Luke shot Lorelai exasperated but amused looks in the wavy mirror over the sink. When he rinsed his mouth he made a show of checking each of the empty stalls and then said, "I'll be right out here."

"Okay," Lorelai said with a nod as the door closed after him. She rooted in her bag and came up with a small bottle of perfume and dabbed a little between her breasts. She washed her hands and face and then quickly used the facilities.

When she emerged, Luke handed her the flashlight and pushed through the door to the men's room where he quickly washed up, added a little extra deodorant and cologne and saw to the necessities. He stepped out to find Lorelai scanning the area nervously with the flashlight. "Is the coast clear?" he asked softly.

Lorelai smiled sheepishly and said, "Sorry, it's just weird, being out here."

Luke cocked his head as he looked at her with a worried frown and said, "It's not too late to find a motel room."

Lorelai shook her head and gave him a smile filled with promise. "No, you've already had your way with me in a hotel. Now I want you to ravish me in your tent, Sir Lucas," she said as she danced out of his reach and led the way back toward the tent with an exaggerated swish of her hips.

"Yes, milady," he answered as he sauntered after her.

"I'm no lady," she said in a husky voice as she glanced back at him over her shoulder.

"You're not doing a very good job of lighting the way," he pointed out with a smirk.

"I figure that where I lead, you will follow," she answered with a shrug.

Luke smiled as they started across the field behind the other tents and said, "You're probably right." He shrugged as he said, "Or, I could do this," and closed the distance between them in three big strides. He ducked his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her legs, throwing her over his shoulder as she squealed. Luke stopped and said, "Hand it over," as he lifted his hand back for the flashlight.

"Yes, milord," Lorelai giggled as she gave it to him.

Luke quickly covered the distance to their tent and then set her on her feet. He held the flap back and gave her a playful swat on the bottom as she ducked inside. He pulled the zipper closed behind him and turned to find her grinning at him with her hands laced innocently behind her back. He looked down at her heaving bosom and whispered, "Sassy wench."

Lorelai leaned closer to him as whispered back, "I should probably be put in my place." When Luke bent down to turn off the lantern, Lorelai asked, "What are you doing?"

"No walls, remember?" he asked softly.

"Can't see you, its too dark," she complained.

"Wait," he said as he switched from lantern to flashlight, and pointed the beam to the roof of the tent. "Better?" he asked as he looked over at her in dim glow of light.

"Yes," she answered simply.

Luke stood up and reached out, catching her at the waist and hauling her up against him roughly. "Good," he said in a gruff voice as he bent to kiss her deeply, threading his fingers into her hair and pulling her head back to expose her neck. He let his fingers play over her throat, sliding down between them until he reached into the plunging neckline of her top and squeezed her breast through her strapless bra. He caught Lorelai's soft moan in his mouth and then tore his lips away, raining scorching kisses over her neck and throat, tugging her skin into his mouth and sucking deeply before nipping her gently with his teeth.

"Luke," she breathed as her head fell back.

"All day, making me crazy," he murmured against her throat. "All day, I've needed to touch you. I have to have you," he said in ragged voice.

"I'm yours," she whispered.

"Mine," he said as he pushed her back onto the air mattress. He braced his hands on either side of her as he caught the end of one of the satin laces between his teeth and tugged on it. He looked up at her and smiled before hooking his tongue under the next row of laces and pulled away from her, letting the ribbons slide over his tongue as they pulled free from their eyelets.

"Oh, God," she whispered as his tongue brushed teasingly over the valley between her breasts. Luke moved down to the next row of laces and repeated the move, looking up at her boldly as he worked them from the eyelets with his tongue. He paused to look down at her, and saw that her bra was now exposed to him. Luke smiled as he slid a hand under her and undid the clasp. He reached between her breasts, and swiftly jerked the unnecessary garment from her body, tossing it aside carelessly. He pressed his open mouth the tender skin and licked her teasingly as Lorelai arched into him. Using both hands, Luke parted the laces, but left them intact just below her breasts, as he cupped them possessively. He bent his head and took one nipple into his mouth, sucking on the hardened nub greedily as he squeezed the soft mounds of flesh. "Luke," she gasped as she clutched the back of his head, pressing him to her and urging him on. As he moved to her other nipple, Luke reached down to grip her thigh tightly before he began to gather the material of her skirt in his nimble fingers. Pushing it up over her hip, he squeezed her thigh with barely contained lust, kneading and stroking her soft skin with his long fingers as his hand slid higher. When he reached the apex of her legs, he groaned against her breast as he found her warm and wet with desire.

"Please, Luke," she whispered as he stroked her folds gently. When Lorelai parted her legs further in invitation, Luke could bear it no more. He tore his mouth from her breast and slid down, frantically pushing the rest of her skirt up to her waist and he pressed his lips to her damp curls. "Oh God, yes," she moaned, yearning for the fulfillment of his earlier promise.

Luke wasted no time. Tonight he had not patience for the teasing or the slow build. Tonight he wanted her, raw and hot. Tonight he needed her willing and waiting. Tonight he would have her body and soul. He pressed his open mouth to her folds, parting her with his tongue and drawing her clit insistently into his mouth. He groaned against her, savoring the taste of her on his lips, drinking her in, and then devouring her as she raised up to meet him. He drove her up, thrusting his fingers into her heat as he licked and sucked at the sensitive bundle hungrily. "Luke!" she gasped.

Luke released her for a second and said gruffly, "Mine."

"Oh God, Luke," Lorelai cried as he attacked her with renewed vigor. Luke knew her well. He felt her building, the need coiling inside of her as the sensation of his lips and tongue on her drove her closer and closer. She whimpered softly, begging for release, but resisting it at the same time. Luke pulled back abruptly, causing Lorelai to gasp desperately, "No, please don't stop."

Luke shook his head as he slid off of the mattress and pulled his shirt up over his head. "You're coming with me," he said gruffly as he reached for the button on his jeans.

Lorelai squeezed her eyes closed for a second and then took a deep breath. She looked up to see him kicking his jeans and boxers aside, his erection full and heavy as he stretched out on the mattress beside her. She looked over at him with heavy lidded eyes. "I want you on top of me," he said in a deep throaty voice.

"Yes," she murmured as she reached for the hook on her skirt.

Luke shook his head and stilled her hand as he said, "Leave it on."

Lorelai smiled and said, "I haven't gotten naked all weekend."

"You will be in a little while. First you have to finish what you started," he growled.

Lorelai smiled as she sat up and then knelt on the mattress, keeping her eyes locked on his as she gathered the flowing skirt, and draped the material over her arm. She straddled him, brushing against the head of his cock teasingly as she positioned him at her entrance. She saw Luke's nostrils flare and his eyes widen slightly at the contact, and let her knees slide apart as she pressed down onto him.

Luke grasped her hips tightly and pulled her down roughly onto his cock as he trust up into her with a challenging look. Lorelai gasped softly and moaned as he filled her. Luke moved his hands to the open neckline of her blouse and caressed her breasts with demanding fingers. Lorelai smiled and began to move, riding him hard, and moaning a soft, "Hallelujah."

Luke was completely lost in her, string up at her in the dim glow from the flashlight, her laces pulled open, her skirt flowing over her arm and down onto his hip as she threw her head back and rode him faster, impaling herself on him as he gently pinched and tugged on her nipples with his fingers. "Jesus, Lorelai," he groaned as he sat up and pressed his lips to the base of her throat. He released one breast and gripped the back of her neck, pressing her down onto him.

"God, Luke," she panted. "Luke," she whispered. "Please, oh," she murmured as she felt her climax bearing down on her. "Luke!" she cried softly as she shattered.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes," he chanted against her neck as he felt her squeezing his cock in her velvety walls. "Oh, God," he groaned and thrust up into her as his orgasm ripped from him, shooting into her hard and hot. "Lorelai," he murmured in a raspy voice. He pressed his mouth gently to her throat, feeling her racing pulse against his lips as he ran his hand over her hair, soothing and stroking her as she melted against him. He slipped his other arm around her back and held her close to him as he showered her neck and jaw with a thousand tiny kisses, whispering her name, and sighing with contentment.

Lorelai stirred slowly, running her hand down over the smooth muscles of his back. "Good Lord," she murmured at last.

Luke chuckled as he loosened his grip on her and fell back to the mattress with a lazy smile and a heartfelt, "Huzzah."

Lorelai giggled and fell forward, kissing him full on the mouth. She pulled back slightly and whispered, "Well, that was all kinds of hot."

Luke smiled back at her and said, "I was all kinds of inspired," as he ran his fingers over the loosened back of her blouse. "I love this thing," he said gruffly as he gave it a slight tug.

"I think I noticed that," she answered with a giggle.

Luke grinned and said, "I wish you could have seen yourself. All sexy and stuff," he finished lamely.

"Lusty? Wanton?" she asked.

"Yeah, those are good words," he said with a chuckle.

"So whenever I think you might just need to give a lusty wench a good tumble, I should pull out this top?" she teased.

"The skirt too," he added.

"Got it," she said with a nod.

"Up," he said gruffly.

Lorelai pushed herself up off of his chest with a frown and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he answered easily as he threaded a finger under the next row of laces and pulled them loose with appreciative deliberation.

Lorelai looked down and said, "You don't have to pull them out, just loosen it up."

Luke smirked at her and said, "Dirty," as he continued to pull the laces free, parting the blouse slowly.

Lorelai giggled and glanced down as she said, "I guess you want it completely off."

Luke nodded slowly as he reached the final row of laces. He smiled as he let them run slowly over his finger and said, "Very sexy."

"I'm glad it pleaseth milord," Lorelai answered with a cheeky smile as he parted the material and pushed it slowly from her arms.

"I'm very pleased," he said in that deep throaty voice that she loved so much. He found the hook and zipper on her skirt and quickly loosened them. He frowned as he realized that she'd have to move to take it off.

Lorelai shook her head slightly and whispered, "Go up." She slipped on arm inside the waistband and Luke slid the skirt at and angle up over her arm. When he cleared her shoulder, he pulled it over her head and dragged it down over her other arm with a chuckle.

"Never took a skirt off like that before," he said with a smile.

"I'm not moving," Lorelai answered as she draped herself over his chest, burying her face in his neck, and straightening her legs against his.

Luke sighed contentedly as he ran his hands over her back, the length of her pressed against him, his body still inside of hers. "I love you, Lorelai," he said simply.

Lorelai smiled softly and whispered, "Huzz-ahhhh," as she nestled against him.


	5. Faire Thee Well

**A/N: Alas, we have come to the end of our dragon's tale. Or tail, as the case may be. ****I want to thank thee, kind lords and ladies, for your attention and your reviews. Pray tell you enjoyed your stay at the Faire. Until we meet again, good morrow, my friends.**

**Faire Thee Well**

His first thought was that he had fallen out of bed. And then, he thought maybe the dresser had fallen over on him, crushing his chest. Luke struggled to force his heavy eyelids open and realized that the weight on top of him was Lorelai. Then he realized that he was not in his apartment, but rather, in a tent. He blinked as he realized the reason that his back hurt was that he was on the floor. Correction, ground. He wondered momentarily if they had both fallen off of the mattress. He pushed Lorelai's hair aside, and tried to assess their situation. That's when it hit him. They had somehow managed to spring a leak in the air bed. He reached his hand out to the unused side of the bed and felt the remainder of the air that had been displaced by their combined weight. Before he could stop it, the laugh rumbled up from deep inside of him. He wrapped his arms around Lorelai's bare back and held her tightly as he let loose with a belly laugh that shook them both.

"Wha?" Lorelai said as she stirred from her place his chest. Luke laughed harder and held her tighter. Lorelai tried to raise her head as she asked blearily, "What's so funny?"

"We killed it," Luke gasped.

"Huh?" Lorelai asked as she blinked her still drowsy eyes.

"We killed the bed," he said, still convulsed with laughter. "Stupid bed," he murmured as he pushed her hair back from her face and beamed up at her.

Lorelai's breath caught in her throat as she was finally able focus on his happy face. She watched him carefully as he tried to control his laughter, but was unable to wipe the smile from his face. She reached up and touched his cheek as she smiled softly down at him. "I love you so much," she whispered.

Luke blinked in surprise at her declaration, but continued to smile up at her. "Because we managed to pop the air bed?" he asked with a happy gleam in his eyes.

"Because we popped the air bed and you're laughing," she answered. "I love it when you laugh like that," she said as she shook her head in wonder. "I love it when you smile like that. You're so beautiful," she said as she kissed him gently.

"Not beautiful," he protested against her lips.

"So beautiful," she insisted as she deepened the kiss. She moved to press her lips to his scruffy jaw as she whispered, "I want to stay here forever. Just like this."

Luke smiled as he turned his head, granting her better access to his neck. "Okay," he said in a soft deep voice.

Lorelai framed his head in her hands and drew the soft skin under his ear into her mouth. When she heard him groan softly, she pressed the mound of her sex to his thigh and rubbed lightly against him. Working her way down the side of his neck to his shoulder, Lorelai smiled as she felt him pull her fully onto him, pressing his arousal against her soft curls, and running his hands over her bare back and bottom. "I love touching you," she whispered against his skin. "I love tasting you. I love it when you're inside of me," she said in a soft voice raspy with sleep and desire. "But most of all, I just love being near you," she said as she lifted her head and looked him straight in the eye. "I love just being with you," she said with a smile. "I like to hear you laugh," she said as she returned to her gentle ministrations, working her way across his broad shoulder. "I like it when you hold me so tight," she said as she nipped at his bicep. She ran her hand down his arm, and pulled his hand from her bottom. Lorelai placed her hand against his, palm to palm, marveling at the size and strength of his. She slid her fingers along the length of his and then laced her fingers through them. She brought their joined hands to her cheek and rubbed against his knuckles before kissing the back of his hand and gently raising them up over his head. She leaned up and kissed him lingeringly as she lifted her hips and pressed herself down on the tip of his cock.

"Lorelai," Luke breathed raggedly.

"Just this. Just us," she whispered against his mouth as she felt press up into her slowly.

Luke's eyes closed involuntarily as he gave himself over to the heat of her surrounding him. "Just us," he murmured.

"No games, no costumes, no teasing," she whispered in his ear. "Just me loving you," she said softly.

"And me loving you," he answered. "So much," he said with a soft groan as he held himself still, feeling her squeezing him within her walls. His lips sought hers, kissing her sweetly as she began to move slowly on top of him. They continued to kiss slowly, drawing on each others lips, their breath mingling as Lorelai held him tightly, his hand clenched in hers, their bodies joined, and their eyes filled with tender devotion. Their kisses grew progressively more desperate as Lorelai began to move faster, Luke's hand gripped her hip, helping her move as she pressed the full length of her body against his. "Lorelai," he breathed in a warning tone.

Lorelai smiled as his hands tightened on her hand and hip. "You and me," she whispered to him.

Luke raised dark lashes to look her fully in the eye as he answered, "Forever."

"Tell me you love me, Luke," Lorelai whispered in a knowing tone.

"Oh God, I do," Luke groaned as he pressed up into her. "I love you, I love you," he chanted in a deep raspy voice as he lost all control. His orgasm slammed into him, ripping free from him with an intensity that was almost painful. "Oh Lorelai, Lorelai," he groaned as he emptied into her. "Oh my God," he whispered.

Lorelai drew in a deep breath, continuing to grind against him as she let her head drop, curtaining his face with her hair. She watched as his eyes slowly opened and looked up at her. "Just us," she whispered as she followed him over the edge. "I love you, Luke," she panted into his ear.

"Lorelai," he said in a voice choked with emotion as he wrapped his arm around her back tightly, holding her to him as their breathing slowed.

"I love that we broke the bed," she murmured.

"Me too," he answered with a chuckle.

"Let's buy a new one and see if we can pop it too," she said with a giggle.

"I'm betting we can," he said with a grin. When Lorelai slowly released her grip on his hand, Luke kept his fingers loosely entwined with hers, unwilling to break the connection in any way.

"I must be killing you," she murmured at last, lifted her head to look down at him.

"I'm perfectly happy," he answered.

"Your poor back," she said with a sad shake of her head.

Luke smiled up at her and said, "Has never felt better."

"Post coital bliss?" she asked with a teasing grin.

"Heaven," he answered softly. He slid his other hand up her back and began to gather his mass of dark curls in his fingers, holding them back from her face.

"Excellent tent revival, preacher man," she said with a grin.

"Amen to that," he answered.

"Hallelujah," she said with a grin. "I think we've both found salvation."

After a few minutes of contented silence, Luke said, "I bought a camp coffee pot."

Lorelai began to scramble up off of him as he she asked, "Why didn't you say so?"

Luke smirked as she flopped over onto the side of the bed with the leftover air and said, "Because I was afraid of exactly that. I mention coffee, and you forget all about me," he said in a sulky tone.

"Well, a girl has to have her priorities," Lorelai argued with a laugh. "Besides, in this case, I had you first," she said as she turned her head to look at him.

"For which I will be eternally grateful," Luke said as he tried to sit up with a groan.

"I slept so good last night. The combination of fresh air and hot sex can really take it out of a girl," she said with a nod. When she saw Luke smirk and bite back a comment, she asked, "What?"

"Nothing," he said gruffly.

"What were you thinking? Was it dirty?" she asked with a grin.

Luke shrugged and colored a little as he said, "When you said that, all I could think was I did my best to put it back into you."

Lorelai grinned broadly and reached over to stroke his smooth back as she said, "And you succeeded, my friend." She pressed her hand to her stomach and said, "God, I'm hungry."

"Of course," Luke said with a laugh.

"Oh, come on, you have to be too," Lorelai said plaintively.

"I am," Luke answered as he snagged a pair of boxers from his bag and pulled them on before and then stood up and began rooting through it for fresh clothes. "Do you want to attempt the camp showers, or wait until we get home?" he asked.

Lorelai made a face and said, "I think I'll wait."

Luke glanced over at her and asked, "You sure?"

Lorelai nodded slowly and said, "Yeah, the idea of those showers is a bit much from me. Plus, I like smelling like you."

Luke nodded and said, "Okay, well, I'll start breakfast. After that, I guess we should start breaking stuff down and packing up."

"But you said that we could stay here forever," Lorelai said with a pout.

Luke looked over at her as he buttoned his jeans and said, "I would love to, but I'm pretty sure that you know we can't."

Lorelai nodded solemnly and said, "Can we pretend for the rest of the time that we're not going home, that we're just moving on to the next adventure?"

Luke frowned slightly as he knelt on the deflated bed and rubbed her cheek with his fingertips. "We are, aren't we?" he asked gently.

Lorelai blinked as she caught his meaning and then smiled. "Yeah, we are," she agreed.

"Here, there, it really doesn't matter, Lorelai," he said gently.

"You're right, it doesn't," she said as her face cleared slightly.

Luke nodded as he leaned over to kiss her. He smiled as he pulled back and said, "I'll go get the stove set up and start your coffee."

"I guess I should put some clothes on," Lorelai said listlessly as she watched him stand up and pull his t-shirt over his head.

Luke smiled and said, "I think you look great just as you are."

Lorelai looked over at him and said, "Maybe I'll just stay here for a minute."

Luke nodded and said, "Good plan." He reached out and touched the anklet around her slender ankle. "Maybe if you stay like that, I can see if this really does match your eyes," he teased.

Lorelai snorted and said, "Not without some fuel first."

"On it," Luke said as he unzipped the tent flap, glanced in both directions and then carried the camp stove outside, pulling the zipper shut behind him.

Luke got the stove set up and then turned back to the tent to gather the rest of the breakfast supplies. He unzipped the flap and saw that Lorelai had pulled the twisted sheet up over her and drifted back to sleep. He stood for a moment just inside the tent and looked at her, the fantasy of so many lonely summer nights come true. He smiled as he noted that with his weight off of the mattress, the remaining air redistributed, and offered her about four inches of cushion above the hard ground. He quickly and quietly gathered the percolator and the large cooler, and carried them both outside with him, carefully closing the tent behind him. After getting the coffee on to heat, Luke pulled out one of the folding camp chairs he had dropped outside of the tent the previous night and set it up to sit on while he cooked breakfast.

Lorelai stirred a few minutes later to the telltale aroma of bacon frying. "God, I love that man," she murmured as she sat up and wrapped the sheet around her naked body. She opened her suitcase and pulled out clean underwear, a pair of pink pedal pushers and a snug white t-shirt. She dressed quickly, struggled to make some semblance of order from her tangled hair, and finally pulled it back into a long ponytail that trailed down her back. She unzipped the tent flap and sat Luke sitting with his back to her, leaning over the camp stove as he turned the bacon. "You are the perfect man," she said as she touched his shoulder gently.

Luke jumped slightly under her unexpected touch and then smiled up at her as he said, "Well, I figure it's safer to feed you." He pulled an enamelware mug from his magic box of supplies and picked up the matching coffee pot. Lorelai watched the steam rise from the dark brew as he poured, and sighed happily when she caught the scent of it on the early morning breeze.

"What time is it?" she asked him.

Luke glanced down at his watch and answered, "Almost seven thirty."

"So early," she muttered as she took the cup from his hand and cradled it between hers.

"Here," Luke said as he stood up to give her his chair.

"Oh no, you're cooking," she protested.

Luke waved at the chair as he bent over and placed the bacon on some paper towels to drain. "I'll get the other one out in a minute. Sit," he ordered as he layered more bacon into the pan.

Lorelai frowned at the pile of already cooked strips and said, "I'm hungry, Hon, but not that hungry."

Luke chuckled and said, "Watch, Liz and T.J. will magically appear once the food is ready." He stood up and went to retrieve the other camp chair, pulling it from the carry bag and setting it up next to Lorelai.

Lorelai smiled at him and asked, "Can't escape the breakfast crowd, can you?"

Luke shook his head and said, "Apparently not," as he sat down with a grunt.

"I've had really good time this weekend," she said almost shyly.

Luke turned and gave her a soft smile as he said, "I have too."

Lorelai nodded as she looked down at her coffee and said, "I know things have been weird lately. I didn't mean for it to get weird between us."

Luke winced slightly as he leaned forward to turn the bacon and admitted, "I don't know what to do for you."

"You don't have to do anything. You've been great," she insisted.

"Have you talked to her at all?" Luke asked bluntly.

Lorelai let out a bitter laugh and asked, "Don't you think I would have told you?"

Luke shrugged and said, "Maybe not, you know, if things didn't go the way you wanted them to."

"No, I haven't," Lorelai answered softly. "Dad called just after the hearing thing, but you know that," she told him.

"Have you tried calling her?" he asked cautiously.

Lorelai shook her head adamantly and said, "No, she did this. She needs to be the one to fix it."

"Lorelai," Luke started to protest.

"No, Luke. I did everything right. I did everything a good parent is supposed to do. I talked to her, I explained why I thought her reasoning was wrong," she insisted. "I tried to reason with her, with my parents. I tried to make it okay for all of us," she said stubbornly. "I would never have let her drop out. She could have cut back, take an easier workload, that would be fine," she said as she gestured with her hand. "I totally would have understood that, but, Rory dropping out all together? No, never in a million years will I understand that," she said softly.

"I know," Luke answered softly.

Lorelai gave him a weak smile and said, "There's still time. Maybe she'll come around by the end of summer. I hope so."

"I do too," Luke said sincerely.

Lorelai pressed her lips together as she nodded and then glanced over at the people stirring outside of their tents. "So today," she said slowly.

"Yes?" he asked.

"What do you say we pack everything up and just kind of wander our way home? You know, stop in little places along the way, and see what we have been missing in our haste to get to Portsmouth for our illicit assignations," she said with a small smile.

"Are we illicit if we're engaged?" he asked.

Lorelai smirked and said, "Still without benefit of clergy."

Luke removed the bacon from the pan, poured off a little of the grease and began cracking eggs into the cast iron skillet. "You want me to see if Reverend Spirograph is around?" he teased.

"Your battleship sunk me," she giggled.

Luke smirked as he said, "More fun than a barrel of monkeys."

Lorelai snickered and asked, "Hey, when they pronounce us husband and wife, I say we both yell, 'Yahtzee!' as loud as we can."

"And pump our fists in the air," he added with a chuckle.

"Yes!" Lorelai exclaimed as she shot her fist into the air victoriously. "We are so doing that," she said with a happy nod.

"Hey guys!" they heard Liz call from behind them. They both turned to see Liz and T.J. approaching with their camp chairs in hand.

Luke held up is hand in a wave, and turned away slightly as he muttered, "What did I tell you?"

"Good morning," Lorelai called back to them with a grin.

Liz smiled broadly as they neared and said teasingly, "Well, isn't someone bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning."

Lorelai smirked and said, "Yes, he is."

Liz chuckled as she stopped next to Lorelai and said, "Oh thank God you cooked. I'm so tired of granola I could spit," she added as she opened her chair and dropped into it.

"Lizzie's not the best with a camp stove," T.J. said as he set his chair up next to hers.

"And you?" Luke asked pointedly as he slid two eggs onto a paper plate and added some bacon to it before handing it to Lorelai. He pulled out a plastic fork and offered it to her before turning back to the skillet and rescuing the other two eggs.

"Ah, Luke, you know that unless it involves a grill, I'm hopeless," T.J. said with a knowing grin.

Luke rolled his eyes as he added a fork and bacon to the plate and said as he handed it to Liz, "Same basic concept."

"Steaks, ribs, burgers and dogs, that's all I'm in charge of," T.J. said self importantly as he eyed Liz's plate.

"I make a mean Pop Tart," Lorelai said as she chewed a piece of bacon.

"Oh, I can rock a Hot Pocket," Liz said as she held her plate out to T.J., offering him a bite to tide him over until Luke could make some more eggs.

"How do you rock a Hot Pocket?" Luke grumbled.

"Oh, she totally does," T.J. said excitedly. "She nukes them and then just before they're done, she adds some shredded cheese to the top and cooks them a minute more. Then you eat them with this salsa we get that will melt your eyebrows," T.J. added as he wiggled his.

"Mmm, I'll have to try that," Lorelai murmured as she shoveled more of her eggs into her mouth.

"Hopefully when I'm not around to witness it," Luke muttered under his breath. He turned the eggs and said, "Coffee in the pot, juice in the cooler."

When T.J. got up to check the contents of the cooler Liz said, "Ooh, grab me some juice, would ya, Baby?"

T.J. pulled out two small bottles of orange juice and said, "So we thought we'd come over to visit for a little while before we have to go set up."

Liz nodded and said, "It's a beautiful morning, so peaceful."

"Yes, it was," Luke said dryly.

Liz laughed and said, "Oh, don't try to get all grumpy now. You're happy and you know it."

"Clap your hands," Lorelai added with a grin.

T.J. clapped his loudly and proclaimed, "I'm the happiest guy on Earth."

Luke glanced over and winked at Lorelai as he said, "We were just talking about how fun your wedding was."

"Oh, man, it was great, wasn't it?" Liz crowed happily. "Hey, you guys could have a renaissance wedding too," she said excitedly. "After all, your romance really bloomed when Lorelai came up to see you at the faire," she said with a nod as she chewed on her last strip of bacon.

Luke handed a plate of bacon and eggs to T.J. before serving himself the two remaining eggs and sitting back in his chair. "Wow, well, geez Liz," he stammered.

Lorelai shook her head quickly and said, "Oh no. Your wedding was so special I would feel like we were copying off of you."

Liz nodded as she thought it over and said, "Yeah, you want your day to be special in your own way."

"Reception in the diner, burgers and fries for dinner, the bride carried a ketchup dispenser," Lorelai said with a giggle.

Liz frowned as she nodded slowly and said, "Yeah, you could go that way."

"You could fly to Vegas and get married by Elvis," T.J. suggested in a serious tone.

"There is always that option," Luke said gruffly.

Liz turned to Lorelai and asked, "You gonna have more kids?"

"Liz," Luke barked with a frown.

Liz held her hands up defensively and asked, "What? Is that a state secret?"

"No, it's personal," Luke growled.

"I'm your sister," Liz reminded him.

"So our parents claimed," Luke muttered darkly.

Lorelai giggled and said, "Well, we have talked about it a little. Kids would be good, right?" she asked Luke with a wink.

"Yeah," he answered with a shy smile.

"Lizzie and I are planning to get started sometime after this season. We're not getting any younger, you know," T.J. said pointedly.

"Or we'll just have fun trying," Liz said as she reached over and patted T.J.'s thigh.

"You should get busy too," T.J. said as he pointed at them with his plastic fork. "Tick, tock," he said in a sing-song voice.

Luke grimaced and said, "Yeah, thanks for that."

Liz looked over at Luke and said, "Oh, wouldn't it be so cool if our kids could grow up together? Man, I would love that," she said with a dreamy shake of her head.

"Well, I'm not planning on having another out of wedlock," Lorelai said with a smirk. "Let's just try to get married first," she told Luke with a teasing grin.

"Try to stop it," he said gruffly. Looking to change the subject, Luke asked T.J., "So, when you get back, are you finishing your bathroom?"

"Oh, man, I'm so sick of dealing with that thing," T.J. groaned.

"I told you that we should just hire someone to finish it," Liz said as she rolled her eyes.

"I can do it," T.J. said defensively. "I just haven't had a lot of time, what with studying for my contractor's exam," he told her.

Luke looked over at Lorelai with a sly smile and sat back to let them carry on their conversation without need for his input. Then, talk moved to other subjects as they sat enjoying the early morning calm. Suddenly, T.J. looked at his watch and exclaimed, "Oh crap, we have to get going," as he jumped from his chair.

"Is it that late?" Liz asked as she scrambled from her seat.

"We have to get dressed and get set up," T.J. said in a panicked tone.

Luke nodded and said, "We need to start breaking this all down anyway."

Liz looked over at him and asked, "Will you come say goodbye before you leave?"

Luke gave her a smile as he nodded and said, "We sure will."

"Thanks for breakfast," Liz said as she hurriedly gathered up her chair and took off after T.J., who was fretting to himself as he headed back to their tent.

"No problem, Sis," Luke said with a grin. He looked down at Lorelai and said, "I guess we should get moving."

Lorelai nodded and said, "I need to go brush my teeth and wash my face."

"Good call. Let's get our stuff," Luke said as he walked over to the tent. A few minutes later, they walked down to the bathrooms with their toiletry kits on hand. Luke nodded to the ladies' room door and asked, "You okay with going in there?"

Lorelai smirked and said, "I'm better in daylight."

Luke tossed her a devilish grin over his shoulder as he pushed the men's room door open and said, "That's not necessarily true."

When they emerged freshly scrubbed, Lorelai threaded her arm through Luke's holding onto his bicep as they walked slowly back to the tent. Luke nodded as they reached their spot and said, "If you'll throw our clothes and stuff into the bags, I'll get this mess straightened out."

Twenty minutes later, Lorelai went to retrieve a cart from the gate area while Luke struck the tent and rolled it up into its canvas bag. When Lorelai came trundling across the grass with the cart, she pouted when she saw that the tent was gone. "I'm gonna miss the Love Tent," she said petulantly.

Luke smirked and said, "I'd set it up in your backyard, but Morey and Babette would probably want to turn us into swingers."

"Okay, that image was just wrong," Lorelai chastised him as he started loading the cart.

"Sorry," Luke said gruffly, unable to hide his grin.

Lorelai studied him for a moment and then said, "I think T.J. was wrong. This morning, you seem to be the happiest man on Earth."

Luke straightened up and looked over at her as he asked, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Lorelai shook her head and asked, "I don't know, but once we reach Stars Hollow, is grumpy Luke coming back?"

"More than likely," he said dryly.

Lorelai stepped over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She smiled and looked up into his eyes as she said, "Good, because as happy as I am that you're happy, it kind of makes me nervous too."

Luke chuckled and said, "Well, for today, I think I'll go on being happy. Check with me tomorrow when Kirk is standing at the diner door at 5:30 in the morning." He ran his hand down her ponytail and then gave it a playful tug, tipping her lips up to his. He kissed her slowly and then pressed his forehead to hers as he said, "But that's tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Lorelai concurred. "Today, you're happy."

"So happy," he said gruffly before he kissed her again.

"Me too," she said softly.

Luke nodded as he stepped back and said, "Stop distracting me. We need to cram all of this back into that Jeep."

Lorelai shook her head and said, "I have no idea how you got it all in there in the first place."

"Wasn't easy," Luke said as he dumped the remains of the air bed on top of the cart. "I'll go dump this thing and load this stuff. Then I'll come back for the rest," he said with a nod.

Lorelai looked over and saw that all that was left were her suitcase, his duffle and the two camp chairs in their carry bags. She eyed the overloaded cart and said, "I can push the cart if you want to carry the bags. That way, we won't have to make another trip," she suggested.

"The cart is really heavy," Luke said doubtfully.

"Wait, my suitcase has wheels," she said quickly.

"It's not going to roll on grass, Lorelai," Luke said patiently.

"I'll just tug it along," she said as she piled his duffle on top of her suitcase and wrapped the strap around the pull handle to secure it. She shouldered both camp chairs and grabbed the handle. "See?" she asked.

Luke rubbed his neck as he looked at her doubtfully and said, "Okay, let's try it," as he grabbed the handles of the cart and started to push with a grunt. Lorelai bumped along behind him, stubbornly tugging the suitcase behind her. When they reached the main camp area, Luke set the cart down and said, "Wait here. There's dumpster over behind those tents," he explained as he gathered the useless air bed into his arms.

"Thank God," Lorelai said dropping the camp chairs to the ground and letting go of the handle on her suitcase.

The weight of Luke's duffle pulled it over, and Lorelai glared at it menacingly as Luke chuckled and said, "Be right back."

Thirty minutes and lots of swearing later, Luke closed the door of the packed Jeep and grumbled, "We can't buy anything bigger than a Slim Jim on the way home."

"No so happy anymore, are you?" she asked teasingly.

"Nope, the cranky is back," he agreed as he picked up the handles of the cart and started pushing it toward the gate.

"Need me to push you up against a camper and improve your disposition?" Lorelai asked as she trotted after him.

Luke glanced up at her and said, "Yes."

Lorelai snorted and said, "Sorry, but you fulfilled your fantasy quota for one weekend."

"Knew it couldn't last," Luke muttered as they walked through the gate. He parked the cart and then held out his hand, taking hers as they walked in the direction of Liz and T.J.'s booth. Luke looked at her out of the corner of his eye and smiled softly.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

Luke leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Pretty, uh, sexy weekend."

Lorelai's smile blossomed as she said, "Oh, yeah."

Luke smiled and said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I almost hate to leave."

Lorelai squeezed his hand and said, "Don't worry about it. I bought you a cod piece." She grinned up at him and said, "It's studded with fake sapphires, to match your eyes."

That's All She Wrote…


End file.
